Dragonchild
by VannuroRB
Summary: After escaping the extermination of his village Yami seeks out where the survivors had fled to, only to find that outside his village home the world can be quite cruel. Puzzleshipping, yaoi, fantasy, stuff.
1. The escape

I'm only doing this idea because my girlfriend said it was good!

Now that that's out of the way, yes a new story and I was sooooooooo determined to do a story of this theme (What theme you say? Look at the title) I haven't really thought of so much background for the little things in a story for such a long time…I'm not even sure I'll be able to put them in the story.

Regardless, enjoy!

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><p>Chapter 1-The escape<p>

The air had become stiff and the nauseating smell from the corpses and splattered blood was starting to rise in the humid air around the prisoners, judging from the dark clouds in the distance they were sure a storm was approaching, but a little bit of rain wasn't going to help them in their time of need.

The prisoners were tied to tethering posts as they watched their quiet little village get burnt, pillaged and destroyed. Some of the people living in its residency managed to escape, but the ones who were caught had to face the penalty of death. Yami looked up from his post watching as the men pushed the newest victim—a young girl who was no more older than twelve—around a little as they lead her to her death, Yami heard some of the soldiers discussing about keeping her as a "pet" but orders were orders, closing his eyes tightly Yami was quick enough only to hear the scream and the swords hitting against her flesh as it went deadly silent once more.

'Get rid of this and bring the next one' One of the captains ordered after he watched the execution.

Yami looked to his side seeing the line of empty tethering posts came to an abrupt end at his heels; he was the next prisoner. Yami tried to pull at the rope behind his back to escape while they removed the body from sight, but that proved to be little help to any of his friends, he was left with only one choice and he hoped that it would work in his time of need. Yami closed his eyes and let out a silent message to his father, he could feel the ground shift a little and the others looked up as they could hear his plea as well.

'Alright, come on' Yami looked up as one of the soldiers untied him from the post and pushed him forwards along the blood splattered ground.

Yami tried his last attempt to wriggle his hands free from behind his back but the more he did the more it cut into his wrists, Yami was pulled into a stop in front of a group of soldiers, two of the men stepped forward and drew their swords from their decorated sheaths. Yami could feel sweat run down the back of his neck as he closed his eyes when they approached him, but there was a roar which made the men shout and Yami opened his eyes.

A dragon was rested on top of the broken down building, its burning amber eyes was set on Yami and his captors before roaring again and breathing fire to anyone who stood in its path, Yami could feel the heat from the fire go against his skin but unlike the soldiers who were trying to escape its fiery path Yami stood still until the flames disappeared. Yami looked up as the dragon quickly crawled down onto the ground and chased the soldiers, Yami ducked underneath its large red body and found swords sat idly to the side so headed to them, sitting down Yami moved his tied wrists up and down the blade until there was a snap and the rope fell loose off his hands. Yami flexed his arms a little and checked on the dragon as it continued to chase the soldiers around the disintegrated camp they had set up for themselves, Yami picked up one of the swords and came back to the pleading friends he knew of, cutting their ropes off them and watching them flee from the sight by any means.

Once Yami had cut the last person free he tossed the sword aside and took the last remaining horse that was panicking in the situation, he managed to calm it down before untying it and mounting it, he gave one last look as there was another burst of fire and bloodcurdling screams before he moved the horse into a run and out into the wilderness.

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><p>Yami soon came across a path and let the horse trot along its trail through the woods, he wasn't sure how far he had ridden away from his home and was even more unsure if turning back to check on his father was a good idea or not. He kept his head up and his ears open in case he would come across some more of his friends, but the chances were slimming down the more he walked down the trail.<p>

Yami gave a small sigh but then sat up as he heard a distant roar, stopping the horse Yami looked over his shoulder to see the dragon with its wings spread out in flight, it tipped its head when it spotted Yami and flew over him before circling him a few times to show it hadn't got badly damaged before flying away into the distance.

Yami smiled when he realised his father hadn't got hurt and got the horse moving again hoping that soon he would re-join with the other dragons and dragonchilds wherever they might've fled to.

********************************End of chapter 1*****************************

That name is going to pop up a lot more in the story lol.

Seems like Yami escaped extermination, makes you wonder why anyone would want to harm him.

Review if you like!


	2. New hope

Dragons, dragons, dragons.

I love dragons!

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><p>Chapter 2-New hope<p>

The water rushed by Yami's feet with a small trickling noise, sun glittering over the streams' surface appearing as if it were filled with diamonds. Yami was asleep by the streams' banks, curled up on the cool lush grass while the horse he stole was comfortable sat by his side, casually eating the food that surrounded them without a care. It gave a snort and shook its mane before carrying on with its eating, but it was enough to wake the male.

Yami gave a small groan before his eyes fluttered open and he was greeted with the green grass and the warm morning sun, he let out a loud yawn before sitting up and stretching his arms to waken his body up, when hearing the horse tug out a tuft of grass he smiled and reached out to stroke its forehead.

'I'm sorry…I took you from your home without any food' Yami apologised with a smile 'I promise to buy you some proper horse food when I can'.

The horse gave a small rumble in its throat and stood up to reach some more grass, Yami smiled before groaning as his stomach ached from the lack of food, he gave a sigh and quickly looked around at his surroundings. The stream seemed too small to hold any sort of aquatic life—or any that was edible and he could catch—and the plants and trees looked plain and didn't offer any type of wild foods, Yami bit his lip as his stomach gave another painful rumble but there wasn't anything he could do to quell his stomach so had to grit his teeth together and mount the horse once more, hoping that if he continued down the path he would find food and an idea on where to go.

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><p>Hours went by and Yami's stomach only grew more violent to the point where Yami wanted to vomit but nothing would move itself up for him to do so, he was starving and the fear that he could be caught by the dragon hunters only made him feel more sick, he needed a proper bed to sleep in and some food otherwise he wasn't sure what would happen to himself.<p>

Another roar from his stomach made Yami clutch his stomach tightly, a groan leaving his throat as he could feel himself tipping lightly on the horse, he looked around desperately only to see the woods they were trotting through and no sign of food. He pulled the horse to a halt while he tried to gather up as much strength as he could while slapping his face lightly, trying to rid himself of any weakness and tiredness he received from his hunger, once he was sure he wouldn't pass out for a while longer he hit the reins and the horse began moving again.

It took him most of the day to leave the woods and ended up on endless fields, the sun was burning orange in the distant setting making Yami sigh and ponder how he kept himself upright without sustenance. Yami then pulled the horse to a stop yet again, but this time it was because he had seen something in the distant. From where he stood it looked like a simple shack in the middle of nowhere, but leaning closer Yami could spot a chimney with smoke seeping out of it, horses tied up outside its long body and the smell of hot delicious food wafted from it. He could've been mistaken, but he was certain it was an inn.

With the offer of food and a warm bed Yami hit the reins to get the horse galloping to the inn, they reached it in a matter of minutes and Yami eased the horse to trot into the last tethering post for the horses, he dismounted and tied the horse in place making sure it could reach the water trough before entering the inn.

Yami pushed the door open gently and peeked in nervously to check the surroundings; the main room of the inn was large with the fireplace lit and giving off a snug warm air and a soft light to brighten the room, at one end was what looked like a bar with the innkeeper manning the bar—a strange looking man with a long tied beard and rough looking scars on his face, presumably an old soldier or such—there were a few patrons standing in the inn. One was a musician and was playing a Biwa and singing while a few of the other men were enjoying the drinks on service, a man sat near the door at a table but didn't seem like he was enjoying the atmosphere that was created, it was more or less alone and Yami was hopeful that a spare room would be free.

He moved in and sidled round the drinkers before he came to the rugged bartender, Yami gave a small smile and rubbed is arm lightly feeling awkward and slightly nervous talking to someone outside of his home.

'Can…is there a spare room?' Yami asked quietly so he didn't draw attention to himself.

'There might be' The man grumbled back 'Have you got the money for it?'

'Uhh…n-no but I-'

'Then no room'.

'I-I was hoping I could pay it off' Yami explained 'Do…some work around here…o-or something like that'.

'No. I want coin. If I don't see coin, then you don't get a room, so beat it'.

Yami gave a sad sigh but knowing he couldn't persuade the man he turned to walk out of the inn 'You'.

Yami looked up and realised he was being spoken to, the male that was sat by the door had spotted him and watched his every move with a deep stare in his eyes, the ocean blue eyes made Yami stare back nearly able to see his own reflection in them 'Have we…met before?'

Yami looked up and down the tall male, his more than standard clothes made Yami think he was of a higher status—leading him to question why he was in such a peasant like inn—and the chilling voice he had sparked something inside Yami that made him want to squirm, but despite the vivid qualities about him he didn't seem to remind Yami of anyone.

'I…don't think so' Yami spoke quietly.

He gave a small hum in the back of his throat before sitting back 'There's an old lady who lives not far from here' He explained 'She's strange but welcoming to strangers…she'll have a room for you'.

'Oh…thank you' Yami gave him a small bow before leaving the inn and returning to the horse, he untied it from its post and mounted on it before checking on the sun, it was just about touching the horizon and was no doubt going to be nightfall in a few short hours, Yami whipped the reins and moved the horse down the path to look for the house.

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><p>Once night had fallen Yami spotted the small house sitting on the side of the road, it was rather large and old looking but light was dimly glowing from the building, there was a stable on the side where a grey looking horse was locked inside. Yami gave a small yawn and shiver but decided to approach the house.<p>

Yami stopped the horse before jumping off and knocking on the door, Yami waited a few moments before the door opened to reveal a small old lady like he expected, her grey hair was put up in a small bun and she wore a scruffy looking grey dress but aside from her simple looks she looked reasonable.

'Yes?' She questioned.

'I…heard that you have a room' Yami spoke softly 'Is it still available?'

'Why yes' She looked to the horse 'You can put your horse in the stable while I fix something up for you'.

'Ah…thank you very much'.

Yami took the horse and pulled him into the stable to join the other, sorting out some food for the horse to have during its night, Yami soon returned to the warm looking house to see the lady place foods on the table for them.

'Well come in, you'll let the cold air in'.

Yami shut the door behind him as he allowed himself to walk closer and sit at the table with the woman 'Itadakimasu' Yami picked up the chopsticks up and helped himself to the food with a smile 'This is good. Thank you very much'.

'No problem child' She reassured and watched Yami eat 'You are very young and handsome, not running away from marriage are you?'

Yami looked up at her before shaking his head 'No, nothing like that. Just…travelling'.

'Every traveller has a destination, what is yours?'

'I…don't have a real destination…just to go where I feel like I suppose'.

'Oh that's no good. Especially with no money' She shook her head slightly 'You should head to Domino, the place is riddled with jobs and money opportunities, you might like it there'.

'Domino…the capital?'

'Yes. It is not far from here, a few hours on horseback'.

'Hmm…maybe' Yami ate some more before smiling 'I'll think about it overnight'.

'Alright. For now eat and rest as much as you can'.

Yami ate most of the food that was offered to him by the kind old lady and once he was shown the spare room retired for the night, once stripping to his underwear Yami sat himself in the bed and pulled the covers over him with a small sigh liking the soft feel against his body, he curled up peacefully and enjoyed the goodnights sleep he had for the night debating if he should head to the capital city Domino.

******************************End of chapter 2*******************************

Yami starved himself for a day, the poor sod T.T

But hmm…who was that guy who pointed Yami so kindly in the right direction? I'm sure the vague description doesn't resemble anyone at all.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	3. Run

Yeah I hear ya; I'm updating this story a little too quickly.

I just need a little sadism, and this chapter has sadism (But trust me this is the mildest I'll do to the poor boy)

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><p>Chapter 3-Run<p>

Yami enjoyed his stay at the old lady's house, wishing he could stay under the warm covers for all of his life but he didn't want to overstay his welcome—that and he didn't want the lady to figure out his identity so she would collect the dragon hunters—once Yami woke up and appreciated a small breakfast the lady insisted he had. With his strength regained, his energy recuperated and his hunger quenched Yami decided it was best to leave, Yami walked out the door and looked up at the sky ahead. The chalky clouds were swamping over the sky making Yami wonder if it was to rain, he looked to the horse he had stolen before turning to the woman.

'You can keep my horse' Yami offered 'I can't buy it food or anything to look after it properly…it'll do better here than with me'.

'Well if you insist…but how will you get by travelling on your own?' She questioned with a small frown 'There are all sorts of troubles on the roads. Bandits, murderers, even dragons have been seen around here!'

Yami gave a small smile before shrugging his shoulders 'I'm tougher then I look…I'll manage'.

'And it'll take you nearly all day to reach the city! You won't be able to walk again!'

'I need the exercise' Yami gave a small bow before turning to walk away 'Thank you for the food and bed'.

She watched Yami walk down the path leading to the city before shaking her head 'Young people these days…don't know what they're doing' She mumbled before shutting the door.

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><p>Most of the walk was fine for Yami, no one bothered him and it stayed clear and direct to the city, but soon he regretted giving his horse up so easily.<p>

Downpour came soon after the clouds turned a dark grey, and it hit very hard. Yami soon became drenched and began to shiver, his feet squelched against the mud and his clothes became a wet second layer of skin hugging his body tightly, his hair stuck to the side of his skin while drips ran off his face. But for Yami it got a lot worse.

The more he walked the more Yami noticed his stance wobble with each step he took, the shivering he gave didn't help either, his eyes started to feel heavy and his cheeks flushed up with the strange hotness he felt from the rain. By the time his feet touched concrete he couldn't think straight, sleep was the only thing he wanted, wanting to curl up on the road where he was.

As he looked up he noticed walls, the large grey stone walls ran far off into the distance with a heavy wooden gate left open for visitors to walk in and out of, a few guards took shelter from the rain under their makeshift roofs built in the corners of the walls so they could continue guarding and not get wet. Yami gave one last shiver and hugged his arms before walking closer, keeping his dripping face low so they couldn't see him properly as he briskly walked past them and into the city.

Houses lined along the roads that went north, east, and west. Only a few people were out and they were either standing under their doors to their houses so they wouldn't get wet or were running through the rain to return home quickly, Yami gave a quick glance around before carrying on staggering down the street, hoping that there would be an inn that would take him in.

Yami stepped through the puddles and apologised if he accidently hit into anyone on his way, with a small rumble of possible thunder Yami couldn't take much more. His knees shook violently before he fell on them, lying on the wet pathway he watched the other people walk past and ignore him before he gave a final sigh and passed out.

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><p>Yami gave a small groan as he started to come round again, the sound of rain hitting glass rang in Yami's ear and a warm temperature greeted his body instead of the cool hit of the rain, Yami gave another groan and his eyes weakly fluttered open still feeling light headed and weak thanks to the rain.<p>

He could make out a room, with all the strange items in it he guessed it was a storage room—which lead Yami to question why was he put in a storage room?—a shut door was on the other side of the small room and Yami sat between two rows of shelves filled with items. After regaining some sense back into his sleepy and ill state Yami took a closer look at the items; swords and bows and other mandatory weapons filled one shelf, on the other looked more like souvenirs from fights; skulls, claws, scales, teeth, bones, there were even jars filled with organs which made Yami cringe internally. Whoever the house—presuming he was in a house—belonged to Yami didn't want to meet the person.

Yami then tried to sit up getting achy slumped against the wall, but when feeling his hands stuck together his weary eyes looked down to notice them tied tightly together and resting on his stomach, panic sprung through his sick body and looking closer at the nearest skull to him he had an even bigger reason to panic. He hadn't been helped, he had been captured.

The door gave a long squeak as it was opened; Yami looked up to see the familiar tall male he had met before in the inn, he glanced over to Yami and when seeing him awake walked closer.

'Well you're awake now' He mused before kneeling down in front of Yami 'I knew that old hag would point you here, she's such an unwilling accomplice'.

Yami gave a small groan as he turned his head to the side 'Just be grateful that you have been caught by Seto Kaiba, I'm well known amongst us normal people' Kaiba then stood up looking down at Yami 'You best say your prays tonight, tomorrow I'll take you away for execution. Enjoy your night'.

Yami watched Kaiba walk out before sighing and resting his head back, he closed his eyes wishing he could think straight to find a way to escape from his prison.

Yami sat quietly in the storage room listening to the rain getting heavy and hitting the window ferociously, the warm room temperature soon became a bother to Yami as it only encouraged his fever to spread more and to become more powerful by the hour. With his thinking not going straight, and his hands bound Yami could only stare tiredly at a distant spot to the wall, wondering what was going to become of him and whether he was going to survive or not.

"I've got to get out of here…" Yami thought lightly rubbing his wrists together, wondering if his hands were still bound "I can't move…and I'm so hot…and tired…so…very…tired…"

Yami briefly glanced up as the door opened again for Kaiba to check on his prisoner, Yami then gave a sigh before he tipped over and laid on his side apparently passed out again. Kaiba raised his brow before moving closer to the male, lightly moving him with the tip of his foot.

'Hey, don't you dare die on me' Kaiba growled annoyed, but Yami made no movement. Kaiba gave a dissatisfied sigh and reached down to grab the front of Yami's shirt, pulling him along the floor Kaiba rolled Yami onto his back and tried shaking the male awake 'Wake up damnit. You can't be that ill'.

Kaiba tried shaking him a few more times before he frowned and looked down at the males hands when he felt an unusual rise in temperature, Yami had started creating a fireball in his grasp and Kaiba barely moved out of the way before Yami shot it up so it hit against the walls causing the flames to catch light on anything flammable, soon one of the corners was in blazes making smoke fill the room distracting Kaiba as he tried to cough out the smoke and cover his mouth.

Yami heated his hands up so they soon started to burn into the rope until it broke away making his wrists free to move, Yami pushed himself up as the flames engulfed the shelves and broke them under the intense heat, Yami tried to make a run for the door before stopping as Kaiba grabbed his arm to stop him running away. Yami managed to push his arm free just as the roof caught alight and collapsed in on the other end of the room, allowing the rain to enter and make the flames hiss at contact, Yami ran to the front door and ran out giving a cough as he entered the rain and felt his legs shake heavily from the sudden run but he wasn't going to let his illness stop him.

Yami made a staggering run to the alley pushing himself along by the walls until he came out onto another street, he quickly glanced around before ducking down the side of a house and sitting tight against the wall, his chest rising and falling rapidly as he tried to catch his breath back. Yami then felt his back tense tightly as he heard wet footsteps on the ground; he didn't need to look to know it was Kaiba searching for him.

'I know you're here dragonchild!' Kaiba called out 'You can't hide from me!'

Yami bit his lip and gently moved himself along the wall so he was hidden further behind the wall, but misjudged the pile of boxes and accidentally moved into them causing one to fall off and hit the ground with a loud thud, Kaiba turned towards the source of the noise and Yami could hear him moving closer. Yami closed his eyes tightly and hugged his body praying that Kaiba wouldn't find him, he then heard a mewl and looked up to see a wet cat run past and out of the alley. Kaiba watched the animal run out as fast as it could before ducking into a dry place to wait for the rain to pass; Kaiba gave a small hum but turned regardless and walked off in a different direction to search for Yami.

The male gave a heavy sigh when he heard Kaiba move away, he waited a few moments to make sure he was perfectly alone before giving a small smile and tipping to the side again, passing out once more under the stress of escaping and running. The rain dripped onto Yami's still face and body only wetting his dry clothes some more, alone with no one to help him again.

The door to the house opened and the small boy looked out, making sure to stay under the doorframe so he didn't get wet, he squinted through the dark weather to try and find anything unusual that could've made the racket.

'See anything Yugi?' His grandfather called out from the safety and warmth of the house.

Yugi continued to let his amethyst eyes look around before he heard a meow and noticed the cat hiding, Yugi gave a small smile before turning back to his house 'Just the neighbour's cat' Yugi reassured and was about to shut the door.

Yugi then stopped and looked to the side of the house, noticing a pair of feet laid out and going behind the side of the house, chancing with the rain Yugi stepped out onto the street and looked around before gasping. He saw Yami's feeble body laid out getting drenched by the rain and not moving which only made him panic more, Yugi knelt down by Yami's side and brushed back some of his hair before shaking his wet shoulder.

'Sir, sir can you hear me?' Yugi called out 'Sir?'

Yugi bit his lip when he didn't respond and stood up to hurry back into the house 'Grandpa! Grandpa! Someone's passed out by the side of the building!'

Once his grandfather collected an umbrella to stop the rain from getting them they hurried back outside to Yami's unconscious body, the elder let his hand touch Yami's forehead before giving a hum and turning to Yugi.

'We need to bring him inside before he gets any worse' Solomon then stood up 'Help me pull him inside'.

'Sure'.

Yugi and his grandfather took each of Yami's arms and managed to stand him up so he leaned over their shoulders before they carried him inside the house and carried him up to the spare room they had, they undressed him of his wet clothes and put him in the warm bed before Solomon took a closer look at him, all the while frowning at his appearance while he checked symptoms and gave him medicine.

'Do you think he'll be alright?' Yugi asked quietly as his grandfather stood up.

'I don't know Yugi' Solomon replied staring at Yami's face one last time before turning to his grandson 'We'll know in the morning. We'll leave him to sleep for now'.

Yugi gave a small sad nod not liking how his grandfather phrased his concern but didn't argue against it, he followed his grandfather out before giving one last look to Yami and shutting the door, hoping that Yami's sleep will help cure his illness before it got worse.

*******************************End of chapter 3******************************

It's always strange when I make Kaiba the antagonist in these types of stories…I mean, he has a fetish for them in the series but in my stories he wants to kill dragons? I'm so weird!

Anyway, it looks like Yugi's as good as gold once again, let's just hope Yami makes it through the night…

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	4. Tips for learning

When you want to add a little romance remember this tip.

Bottles!

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><p>Chapter 4-Tips for learning<p>

Yami looked over the great fire that was in front of him; his young eyes turning to the other members of his village who were crying at the loss including his mother, Yami held her hand tightly and watched his mother weep openly as the flames grew higher into the sky.

'Mummy?' Yami tugged on her hand to get her attention 'Why are you crying? Why is everyone crying?'

She managed to brush her tears away and turn to her son with watery eyes 'Because…we all had a great connection to the dragon' She croaked out 'A-And we all feel…disconnected now…'

'Then…why did he have to go?'

'Because he trusted…some mean people…and they betrayed him…'

'Why?'

'Because…he was different…'

Yami tilted his head and pointed to his own body 'But you say I'm different…am I…going to go away too?'

She hiccupped and covered her mouth to silence her cries at the thought, Yami was about to apologise but his mother got down on her knees and hugged her son close, crying into his shoulder instead while he stood confused.

'Yami…you must promise this…pretend to be someone else around others…but never…forget who you are…you're too precious for me to lose'.

Yami stared at his mother before nodding 'Okay mummy…'

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><p>Yami opened his eyes weakly when he felt a cool breeze go over his body, he looked up to see a window open and the white curtains flowing gently in the breeze and hovering over his body. Yami stared at the sight before him before turning his head and looking around at where he had ended up once more.<p>

It looked like a bedroom, there was a small bedside table next to his head, a door leading out of the room, a wardrobe tucked away in the corner and of course the bed that Yami was using. Yami rubbed his forehead, still feeling the effects of his illness but proceeded to sit up and stare down at his covers.

"Mum…I hope she's alright" Yami thought and rubbed his eyes again "Damnit…I still feel like crap".

Yami then looked up as he heard the door opened and stared as a small boy poked his head round the door, but once seeing Yami awake he smiled more broadly and nudged the door open to reveal a tray of food and drink.

'I'm glad you're awake' Yugi spoke as he walked closer and placed the tray gently on Yami's lap 'Grandpa said you might not have made it through the night, but I knew otherwise' Yugi then put his hand over Yami's forehead 'You still feel a little hot…how are you feeling?'

'Dizzy…' Yami replied quietly looking down at the soup that was offered to him 'Thank you…umm…'

'Yugi. Yugi Mutou. And your name is?'

'Yami…Aten'.

'Yami Aten' Yugi repeated with a smile 'Well, you eat as much as you can and I'll get grandfather to get some medicine for you' Yugi turned to the door and walked out before looking back at Yami 'Just take it easy, we'll look after you now'.

Yugi shut the door behind him leaving Yami on his own, Yami looked down at the bowl and carefully picked up the spoon to gather up some soup and sipped on it 'Not bad…' Yami mumbled and ate some more.

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><p>Yami stuck to Yugi's instructions knowing he wasn't in a place or situation to disagree with the teen, after being able to take some medicine Yami was told to stay in bed and that was what he did, though he didn't like those orders one bit.<p>

Yami laid in bed for most of the morning and into the afternoon, he had the window kept open so he could enjoy the cool breeze and watch the curtains flutter against the wind, however this entertainment didn't last long and Yami found himself sighing and looking around his room. He knew bed rest was important to keep his health a good chance, however there were two problems that conflicted this; he wasn't the slightest bit tired, and he was very bored.

Yami gave another sigh before looking up at the window hearing a small clink of glass; he pushed himself to sit up and looked out the window. It gave a view of the back of the houses around them, a small patch of grass was the only natural thing that broke the houses up. Sitting on the grass was Yugi, he was sat at a table filled with ingredients and bottles, a book was open and occasionally he had to turn it back to the right page as the wind often teased the pages over. Yami gave a small smile before slipping out of his bed, wobbling a little on his legs but after managing to pull his own strength together he walked out the room and managed to find his own way to the back garden.

Yugi was sat oblivious to Yami's approach as he muttered to himself and sighed when he got something wrong, Yami leaned over him and when spotting the shadow Yugi jumped and looked up at Yami.

'Yami you should be in bed' Yugi protested.

'I know…I'm just not good with staying still in one place' Yami explained as he sat next to Yugi, he looked along the table 'You trying to make remedies?'

'Trying is the word' Yugi grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head 'Grandpa said I need to learn as many as soon as I can so I can take over the shop…but I just don't have the skill for it…I do everything in the book but it goes horribly wrong'.

'Is that so?' Yami looked over the book 'I can help you out with that'.

'Oh? How so?'

'Just some tips' Yami explained as he picked up the book 'First we'll need to get rid of this'.

'Ah no please, that book has been in my family for a very long time' Yugi took it out of Yami's hands and set it on his lap 'It's very important for us…'

'I didn't mean destroy it' Yami reassured as he moved closer to Yugi 'It's just the way I was taught was that books can only tell you what they think is right, it's your own judgement and skill that makes the remedy perfect'.

Yugi gave a shy smile 'Skill…great…just what I'm lacking'.

Yami gave a faint chuckle and patted Yugi's shoulder 'I used to be like you, everything I did was hopeless, but don't worry you'll get the hang of it in the end'.

'Yeah…I hope so…'

The two sat outside for most of the day with Yami teaching Yugi all of his lessons he had learnt, the day stayed fine and even though there was a few dark clouds blocking the sun the rain had decided to stay away for them to learn together. Yami watched as Yugi crushed up a small herb before gathering as much of it as he could and added it to his mixture in the bottle before sealing it up with a cork.

'Leave that for a few days and it'll be ready to use'.

Yugi gave a small sigh and smiled up at Yami 'Thanks you're really…knowledgeable in apothecary…did you study it as well?'

'No I was…taught in many things' Yami explained lightly 'Making remedies was just one of them'.

'I see…where do you come from Yami?'

Yami stayed silent for a few moments debating about his answer 'A very far away place…'

'Oh…I see…so why aren't you there right now?'

'I'm trying to search for my family…we split up…'

'Oh right…' Yugi fumbled with a few things on the table 'Guess you don't want to talk about it huh?'

'No…I'm sorry…'

'It's fine…if you don't want to talk about something, then you shouldn't feel pressured to do so'.

Yami gave a small nod and looked up when he heard the door open, the two of them turned around to see Yugi's grandfather walk out to them; he looked at what Yugi had done and gave Yami a small glance before turning to his grandson.

'So Yugi, how well have you done?' Solomon questioned.

'Really well grandpa' Yugi answered and picked up the bottles to show his grandfather 'I made all of these; Yami helped me out a lot'.

'Is that so?' He let his eyes fall onto Yami but the glare he gave the male didn't comfort him, almost as if he was being warned and not wanting to give an eye battle Yami turned to face back to the table 'You should really be resting…you won't get better out here'.

'Ah yeah that's true Yami' Yugi gave a charming smile 'I'm grateful for your help…but I don't want you getting worse'.

'Yes…I might go rest now' Yami stood up and brushed the loose grass off his trousers before giving a small bow to the two and retreating to his room. He gave a small sigh and ran a hand through his hair as he climbed the stairs 'I have a feeling I'm not really welcomed here…' Yami mumbled as he slinked off to his room to rest once more.

* * *

><p>Yugi came to check on Yami after it got dark and his grandfather was preparing dinner, Yami hadn't come down since his retreat back into his room so Yugi was caused for worry. Yugi came to Yami's door and gently knocked on it, he listened for a reply but when hearing nothing Yugi let himself in to see Yami.<p>

The male was in his bed with his eyes closed, Yugi moved closer to him and looked at him seeing his eyes flutter 'Yami…do you want dinner?' Yugi asked.

Yam gave a small groan and shook his head 'No…thank you…'

Yugi leaned closer and placed his hand on his forehead to feel Yami's heat; Yugi gave a sigh and turned to the door 'Okay…I'll check on you when I come to bed'.

Yugi had his meal with his grandfather but kept his ears open in case he heard Yami, but there was only silence between them. Yugi hurried to wash his plate up and help his grandfather before he rushed upstairs to check on Yami, the male was in bed panting heavily with sweat running over his face, his condition not improving in the slightest.

Yugi bit his lip but hurried around the closed shop and house before coming back to Yami; he gave him the right amount of medicine and tried to dampen his face with cool water before holding Yami's hand in his.

'Don't worry Yami…I'll be right by your side' Yugi whispered to the unconscious male before resuming his damping.

*********************************End of chapter 4****************************

Fevers seem to be annoying no?

But Yami's getting worse! God I hope he gets better again…

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	5. Companion

Oh come on!

You didn't really think I was going to let it be easy did ya?

* * *

><p>Chapter 5-Companion<p>

'Here it comes Yami'.

Yami held his arms up in the air as he watched his father throw the ball to him, the small child tried jumping up to catch it but it flew past his finger tips and bounced along the ground, Yami quickly ran after it before holding it and running back to his spot opposite his father.

'Okay Yami, show me what you got' His father encouraged.

Yami bit his lip as he held tight to the ball, he pulled his arm back before throwing it as hard as he could, his father managed to catch it before it hit his stomach too hard. He gave a small laugh to reassure his son and held up the ball to his son.

'You're getting stronger Yami! I'll have to watch my back!' He joked.

Yami grinned before running over to his father and tackling him with a small roar, his father laughed and hugged Yami close before pretending to fall over and lay limp on the ground as Yami proudly sat on his father's chest.

'I win!' Yami declared.

'Oh I could never beat you Yami' His father chuckled and ruffled Yami's hair making him giggle 'You're the strongest boy I've ever seen'.

Yami gave another giggle before staring down at his father 'Hey dad…how come only you can be a dragon? Why can't me or mum be one?'

He smiled up at his son before pushing himself up in a sitting position so Yami sat on his lap instead 'I'm a special person is all…I wasn't born human you see, I had to learn how to look like this to fit into normal society'.

'But I wanna be a dragon!' Yami protested 'You get to fly around a-and breathe fire! It looks like fun! Why aren't I special?'

His father chuckled and patted his head 'Oh Yami, you are special. You just don't know about it yet'.

Yami stared at his father before tilting his head 'Dragonchild?'

'No Yami. Although that makes you a different and unique person, there is something else that makes you special' Yami tilted his head in confusion making his father give a small laugh and ruffle his hair again 'When you're older you'll figure it out. Now how about another game with your old man?'

Yami smiled and nodded as he slid off his father and continue playing with the man.

* * *

><p>Yami opened his eyes weakly and looked around the room he had grown accustomed to; he barely remembered the previous night that he was not sure how he fell asleep, he lifted his hand up to rub his forehead before looking down at his side when hearing a groan. Yugi was laid by his side asleep; his hands held onto Yami's left arm and used it almost like a pillow as he slept, though his strange position at the side of the bed made him groan and move slightly in his sleep to get comfortable.<p>

Yami smiled lightly and reached out to stroke his hair lightly "He's just like me when I was young…" Yami thought and tried to gently pull his arm out.

The movement made Yugi's eyes flutter open before sitting up with a small gasp and spotting Yami awake, he smiled and stood up immediately putting his hand on Yami's forehead to check his temperature.

'How are you Yami?' Yugi asked and placed his hand on Yami's cheeks.

'I'm…fine' Yami replied quietly with a broken voice 'I guess…I learnt my lesson eh?'

Yugi gave a small smile but turned to the bedside table and showed Yami the bottle he had picked up the previous night 'I took this. I thought this might bring your fever down and such…was it a good choice?'

Yami reached out to take the bottle and read the name of it before nodding and passing it back 'Yes…very good. You do have some intuition in you'.

Yugi gave a shy giggle as he put the bottle down 'Well you was in a bad state last night I didn't know what would happen…ah don't take this the wrong way, but I was hoping you'd be alright so that you'll be my first patient…'

Yami gave a smile and sat up in the bed gently so he did not cause too much of a sudden rush through his body 'I guess I'll have to call you doctor Mutou then' Yami joked lightly.

Yugi gave a shy blush before turning 'I'll find you something for breakfast, just stay in bed'.

'Yes doctor' Yugi gave another giggle at his new title but hurried on downstairs regardless.

Yugi spent a good time downstairs cooking Yami something to eat for his breakfast, he returned to Yami with the tray and handed it to him and left him to eat in peace, Yugi skipped down the stairs again and turned to his grandfather who was washing a few dishes at the sink in silence.

'Yami looks much better now. He's returning to a normal colour' Yugi raised his brow as Solomon only gave a hum in response 'Something wrong grandpa?'

'I'm fine Yugi' He reassured.

Yugi moved closer and rested on the table 'You just haven't been your usual self since yesterday…you've been quiet and…is it Yami?' Solomon did not give a response but picked up another plate to wash 'He hasn't done anything you know, he's just been ill'.

'You wouldn't understand Yugi' Solomon brushed off.

Yugi gave a small frown 'Well I'm not a child so I don't see how I couldn't understand, do you think he's going to mug us or something? He's barely able to stand without feeling dizzy I think money or anything else for that matter is the last thing on his mind'.

'Yugi stop'.

'So why don't you like him?' Yugi persisted 'Do you think he's a bad man?'

'Because he's not normal like us!' Solomon hissed to his grandson.

They both then tensed when they heard a creak and slowly looked to the stairs where Yami had walked down, the tray in his hands with his meal finished, no one spoke until Yami cleared his throat.

'I thought…I should bring it down' Yami uttered hinting to the tray.

'Y-Yami you should've left it' Yugi jogged to him and took the tray off him 'I would've come back to check you, you should just stay in bed alright?'

'Sure' Yami turned back to the stairs chancing a glance to the elder, he had turned back to his washing and refused to look at Yami, so the male took the hint and carried on until he came back to the room and sat on his bed.

Yami lifted his hands up and observed them before sighing and laying down again 'I guess it is obvious' Yami muttered and closed his eyes 'I just hope I can survive long enough to get over this fever and then leave'.

* * *

><p>The week continued on and Yami's health was improving, though Solomon often expressed his dislike of Yami's presence for too long Yugi kept Yami in the house to make sure he was fully recovered, during the last days of the week Yugi finally gave in and allowed Yami to help around the shop seeing as the male was bored with bed rest. Yami was looking through the stock, picking up the bottles and remedies to see what they had in store; Yami picked up a small green bottle and read the name before turning to Yugi with a nod.<p>

'Your grandfather is wise' Yami complimented before putting the jar on the shelf 'He seems to have a lot of good medicine here'.

Yugi hummed and checked on the other side of the shop to make sure they had enough of the medicine they wanted to sell 'Grandpa has the hand for it…unlike me'.

'Hard work pays off, if you keep practicing you'll get it' Yami encouraged before turning to the shop window and looking out.

The streets were busy with people bustling in and out of each other; vendors had set up stalls out on the street and tried to persuade the local people to buy their products, children often ran in small groups to play and others had their own destination in mind, Yami gave a small smile at the peaceful looking city around him before his smile was wiped clean before him.

Emerging from the crowd was none other than Kaiba, he was looking at the people with his eagle like eyes no doubt searching for Yami, he seemed to miss the shop before he turned sharply to the store. Yami backed away from the window making Yugi look up, when seeing Yami's pale and terrified face he stopped what he was doing and walked closer to the male.

'Yami what's wrong?' Yugi queried.

'I'm not here' Yami spoke quietly to him as he headed to the back door 'Please, I'm not here'.

'But I…' Yugi was cut off with the door opening and turned to see Kaiba walk in, he gave a small bow to the tall male before smiling sweetly 'Yes how can I help you?'

His eyes turned to Yugi before looking around the small and packed shop, his eyes turned to the back door that lead to the house and briefly let his eyes wander over it before turning to Yugi, just missing Yami who was hiding behind the door and listening to their conversation.

'I'm looking for someone' Kaiba explained crossing his arms over his chest 'He was sick you see…so it makes sense he might've come here'.

'I see' Yugi hummed 'Well we get a lot of customers…uhh…can you be specific?'

Yugi cringed lightly as Kaiba reached out a hand and held it out in the air 'He's about so tall…skinny, quite pale, had a fair look to him. I think you can picture the rest'.

Yugi swallowed a thick lump as he held his nervous hands behind his back so they did not give him away 'My…sounds very beautiful…I-I don't think I've seen the man you're looking for sir'.

Kaiba hummed 'Shame…if you do see him, you best be careful around him'.

'Wh-What has he done to make you look for him?'

Kaiba raised a brow at Yugi but answered 'He's a dragonchild. That's execution on sight'.

'O-Oh…r-right'.

Kaiba gave a small hum and looked to the door one last time before turning and leaving the shop, once he had left Yugi gave a relieved sigh but also turned to the door as Yami stepped out, his face which had once been happy to see Yami had turned serious and almost resentful towards Yami. Yami gave a small sigh and walked out of hiding and into the shop, he watched as Yugi took a step back every time Yami moved one step closer.

'I'm sorry' Yami apologised 'I…I didn't mean to lie to you…I just didn't want to hurt you as well…' Yami walked round Yugi and to the door 'I'll leave, and you'll never see me again. I'm sorry Yugi'.

Yami opened the shop door not looking back at Yugi as he check the street and walked out when he was sure it was safe, he continued walking down the street not stopping or dithering about Yugi whom he had left behind, only keeping his eyes set straight ahead of him as he walked out of the city and took the road into the empty plains.

* * *

><p>Yami had walked a fair distance along the road yet the city still kept in sight of him as he looked over his shoulder to see it grow smaller with each step he took, the road ahead of him seemed never ending as it brushed up close to a nearby small mount, a few rough looking trees covered up the rocky and ugly landscape it caused. Yami tried to keep his thoughts clear as he tried to think of a place where his family might have fled to; the suspects were slim, no one in his village told of a secret secondary home and even if there was that had a name to it Yami did not know the outside world well enough to travel there. It seemed like he might never return to his family.<p>

Yami then stopped and looked up as he saw smoke pour into the sky above him, following its small and weak trail it appeared to have come from the side of the mountain, with a small frown Yami set off to find the source of the black air making sure it was not a forest fire.

As Yami came closer to the source he realised that it was something he did not expect to find; sitting cosily against the side of the mountain was a small cabin. It looked empty as the chimney poured out smoke, old root stumps laid scattered around the house presumably to build the wooden structure and to clear space, on closer look Yami spotted an unlocked door. Yami crept quietly closer as he knew no smart person would leave a door unlocked and open, the possibility was that someone was robbing the house or worse committing murder.

Yami gently pushed the door open and looked around. It was warm with a gentle fire glowing in the small hole for a fireplace, a table with what looked like cooking ingredients sat obediently while the rest of the room was quiet and empty, Yami ventured in making sure to be quiet in case he did disturb any intruder that was in the house. Yami searched through the other smaller rooms that were built with the house, but there was still no sign of an intruder and Yami had begun to wonder if he had become the intruder instead.

Not wanting to cause trouble Yami was about to leave if something on the table had not caught his attention, scales were laid out on the table. They were round in shape and gold like in colour, Yami gently picked up one of the scales and noticed that small specks of blood were still moist on its hook; Yami observed it some more before whispering to himself.

'This is…' Yami fell silent when he felt a small jab to his back and stood still.

'I got you now thief' The owner of the house growled and dropped a small bag to the side of the table, keeping a small but blooded knife to Yami's back 'Alright, who are you and what are you doing in my house?'

'This is a mistake' Yami defended.

'Damn straight it is' The other growled.

'No you're a Dragonchild aren't you?'

The male stared at Yami before shaking his head 'I don't want to know how you knew that but nothing changes!'

Yami smiled and looked over his shoulder at the person standing behind him. He looked roughly about Yami's age, he was much taller than he was with rough blonde hair and hazel brown eyes, his clothes looked like they had been through a lot of hard work with all the dirt stains and small tears they had gained but judging from how this person had lived Yami did not expect him to be the cleanest of people.

'I'm a Dragonchild too' Yami explained calmly 'Just like you'.

'Oh yeah? Prove it'.

Yami hummed and looked around the room before spotting the fireplace when it crackled, he smiled as he closed his hands together before pulling them slowly apart so that a small fireball was created from his skin and aimed it at the fire so it burst with a small bang and let the flames grow up the chimney before dying down to its small comforting state.

'Shit…' The male whispered before looking at Yami and down to the bloody knife 'Err…sorry about that' He put the knife aside on the table and wiped his hand 'Still, Dragonchild or not you still broke into my home'.

'No, the door was left open' Yami explained pointing to the door 'I thought someone had broken in or something, I was just trying to help…'

'The door was open?' Yami gave a nod making the blonde grumble and slam the door shut 'Stupid thing! It always breaks at the worst times!' He turned back to Yami and gave a small smile 'Alright…maybe I jumped to it a little. My name's Joey by the way'.

'Yami' Yami introduced and looked around 'You live here on your own?'

'Yeah. What about you? Traveller or something?'

'Yeah…something like that' Yami mumbled and looked to the bag that Joey had put down 'What's that?'

Joey looked to it before picking it up again with a smile 'Dinner. You want to join?'

'Err…sure'.

* * *

><p>Yami watched as Joey scraped up every single piece of the food he had cooked on his plate into his mouth, it was rather disturbing to watch but he couldn't blame the male if he was hungry—after all he did not know Joey's situation in life—Yami cleared his throat and ate a little more before speaking up.<p>

'Thank you…for this meal' Yami appreciated.

Joey swallowed the chunk of meat he had bitten off before answering 'It's no problem. I mean, I should be thanking you'.

'Huh? Why?'

'Well I've never met another one like me' Joey explained with a small grin 'It's just been me and my mum. I've always wanted to meet another Dragonchild like me, and now I have met you so that's great. I've met at least one other person'.

Yami gave a small smile as Joey shovelled another mouthful of food into his mouth 'So you've never met any other dragon and such?'

Joey shook his head and swallowed again 'Never. Just been out here living on my own. How about you? Mum says there's these little dragon villages around and such. Do you come from one of them?'

'Mmm…sort of'.

Joey tilted his head at Yami's quietness before speaking in a lower tone 'Something bad happened' He said more of a statement then a question.

Yami nodded 'Soldiers found our home…well…some of us fled…some of us were captured…'

'Which one were you?'

'A little of both…I called my father and he helped the rest of us escape…I don't know where they are though. That's why I'm travelling; I'm looking for my family'.

Joey rested his head in his hand 'Do you know where they are?'

'I've never heard of another dragon village or anything remotely safe…so no. I have no clue whatsoever'.

'So you're lost, not travelling right?' Yami looked up at Joey as he shrugged his shoulders 'Well I know travelling to be where you have a set destination in mind. Being lost is where you're unsure of where you are or where you're going'.

Yami gave a small hum in thought 'Yes…perhaps I'm more lost…'

Joey looked up at Yami noticing his mood decreasing more as they delved into the subject; Joey lifted his head and lightly hit the table to gain Yami's attention 'You can stay with me for the time being right?'

'Uhh…I-I don't know. I've caused trouble in the city as it is, and I wouldn't want to bother you'.

'Pfft nonsense. I'd rather have you here then know you're going to go out there and get killed by something. Besides I've got food and a place to sleep and the rain doesn't get in much, you won't have much out on your own will you?'

'I suppose so…' Yami mused 'But where will I sleep?'

'We'll think of something don't worry'.

After they finished eating—Joey quicker than Yami—Joey headed to his room and pulled out some spare blankets and a pillow for Yami to use. Yami watched as Joey folded the blankets into a makeshift bed before stepping back and smiling to Yami.

'Here, this will do for a while right?' Joey asked before shrugging 'You can take the bed if you want'.

'It's fine' Yami reassured as he sat down on his bed and stroked over it 'Thank you…for all of this'.

'No problem mate' Joey gave a yawn as he sat back on his bed 'Man I'm beat, I don't know about you but I could sleep for eternity'.

Yami gave a small smile and took off his shirt before lying down in his bed 'Goodnight Joey'.

'Night Yami' Joey pulled himself into his bed and laid down.

Yami gave one last smile before pulling over the thick covers and giving a small sigh wondering if Yugi was thinking about him, but if he was it would be no doubt about how much Yami lied to him.

******************************End of chapter 5*******************************

Well we lost Yugi…but we found Joey instead!

Come on, you didn't think I'd leave out the loveable blonde in this Dragonchild business.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	6. New home

These dragons will all be element related.

And yes it's Yugioh related (I am a Yugioh nerd) see if you can guess where they're from.

* * *

><p>Chapter 6-New home<p>

Yami gave a groan as he opened his eyes the next morning, he rubbed his eyes lightly before looking up and noticing Joey was leaning over him watching his sleeping state, they stared at each other in silence before Joey spoke up first.

'You talk in your sleep' Joey commented casually 'Do you know this?' Yami shook his head making Joey sigh 'Well you do now. How about some breakfast? That might make you feel better'.

'Yeah…okay…' Yami watched Joey turn to walk out the bedroom leaving Yami to sit up and sigh heavily 'I'm so worried about my parents…it's affecting my sleep'.

Once Yami had dressed himself and woke up a little more for civilised contact he shuffled out to the dining room where Joey had placed two plates for their breakfast, they were sat in complete silence as they ate. Yami could tell that Joey had an urge to say something but was holding back, Yami kept eating and hoped the male would speak up on his own, not wanting to intrude on something he did not know about.

'Say Yami…' Joey finally spoke making Yami look up 'Were you…uhh…taught a lot about dragons?'

Yami gave a nod 'It was necessary for me. Why?'

'Because…' Joey rubbed the back of his neck looking away almost ashamed to speak to him 'W-Well…I think I might have a dragon problem…and I don't know what to do…'

Yami tilted his head but leaned closer 'What sort of problem?'

'I…don't really know that either' Joey sighed and sunk in his seat as he poked his food 'My mum…she's a dragon and lately she's been…very sick. I was hoping it would pass but…now I think it's serious and I don't know what to do'.

'It's okay Joey' Yami stood up from the table with a smile 'Take me to her. I might be able to help'.

Joey brightened up and stood up as well 'Really? You can?'

'I'll try my best. I can't promise anything'.

'Well that's better than nothing' Joey then picked up what looked like a torch before opening the door 'Come on, we've got quite a trek to do'.

The two walked through the surrounding woods seeing the sun push through the gaps in the trees and lighting up the woodland, Yami stayed close to Joey noticing when they were moving up into the mountain and they could make out the city above the tree line, Yami occasionally slipped on the rough terrain but Joey was patient and waited for Yami to catch up with him as they went higher.

They soon stopped when they came to a large opening for a cave, Yami peered into it but there was only so much light that was being let in, the distant back of the cave was too dark to make out. Joey smiled but held the torch he had carried with him out to Yami, the male looked at it before looking up at the blonde.

'Help?' Joey hinted.

Yami smiled but held his hands close together so they sparked a fireball and he gently eased it on top of the torch so it set aflame, Joey chuckled but held it up as he jumped into the mouth of the cave.

'Fire kids, always out to impress' Joey joked as he ventured in. Yami followed his lead closely.

They cave went deep and split off into many different tunnels that looked like it would be easy to lose oneself inside, Joey however knew exactly where he was going, holding the torch high so the orange glow hit the stone walls and lit their way. Soon Yami's ear picked up the sound of water, curiously he followed Joey deeper until there was an opening and natural light flooded in.

The cavern was vast with many openings for other tunnels and chasms within the cave, hanging above was a small gap of air where water trickled down into a small waterfall and let in the daylight above them, a stream ran past their feet and around the area before disappearing down another path. The rocks had been shaped and carved into almost stone platforms, and sitting on the highest of the platform was a dragon; it was a large adult, its scales were almost a gold like colour gleaming in the sunlight, it was curled up on its small platform with its wings huddled to its back and its head hung low to show it was not comfortable.

Joey put the torch in the water so the fire fizzled out before jumping over the stream and moving towards the dragon, Yami followed Joey over the ground and climbed up to the platform, Joey was whispering to the dragon and stroking the large plated head to comfort it he then turned to Yami with a smile.

'Yami this is my mother. Mum, this is Yami he's gonna help' Joey introduced.

Yami gave a small bow to the dragon 'It's very nice to meet you'.

The dragon gave a hum and bowed its head to Yami before turning to Joey who continued to stroke her head, Yami took the opportunity to look over the large dragon; he noted the sluggish state before moving around to its side and spotted the missing scales, red sore flesh was left in the place where the plating would have once been, dried blood stains were down the remaining scales and smeared on the flesh giving Yami only one definitive diagnosis.

'How long has this been happening?' Yami questioned.

Joey hummed in thought for a few moments 'About…a week I think' Joey then held tighter to his mother 'She's…not going to die is she?'

'No. Not unless we act quickly' Yami returned to the blonde and held his arm to pull him away 'Joey listen to me, I want you to return to the house and get me a bowl, a spoon and a blanket to put over your mother to keep her warm'.

'Right…where are you going?'

'To get ingredients' Yami answered 'I've been in the city before so I can get them easily'.

'Sure. Wait you need money, come back with me'.

The two teens left the cave backtracking the path they came from so they reached the outside once more, Yami returned to the house with Joey so the blonde could search around before he threw a bag of money to Yami, he caught it and opened it up to count how much there was before shaking his head.

'I can't take your money Joey' Yami protested 'It's just…'

'Yami…if it's going to save my mother…then I'd give you everything' Joey explained patting him on the shoulder 'Just run like crazy and don't give me a reason to punch the crap out of you'.

Yami gave a small smile before backing out 'I'll be quick. I promise'.

'Good luck' Joey watched Yami run down the path back to the main road before turning to the direction of the city, he then gave a small sigh and went around his home to search for the items Yami required.

* * *

><p>Yami ended up panting, sweating and aching but he persisted to run to the city despite having to leave from danger he could not break his promise with Joey, he walked through the streets keeping his head down as he kept his eyes open for Kaiba or any other suspicious characters. He knew the one place he could get the ingredients from, though whether he would purchase them or not he was soon to find out.<p>

Yami looked up at the shop he stood at, Yugi's home.

Yami quickly checked the windows and saw Yugi manning the counter for his grandfather; Yami sucked a couple of breaths in but opened the door and walked in. Yugi looked up and was about to speak, but when noticing Yami he fell silent and only gave a fearful gaze to the male, Yam did not speak either but moved to the counter so he and Yugi stood inches apart from one another.

'I know…you must hate me' Yami spoke softly 'But I need some things for you…it's for a friend and it's very serious. Please'.

Yugi looked down at the wood before muttering 'Is it for a dragon?'

'Does it matter? It's a life and death situation…I can't wait for you to decide if it's morally right or not. Please'.

Yugi was silent for a few moments before 'What do you need?'

Yami gave a small smile but told Yugi the list of ingredients before he watched the small male hurry around the shop to collect the needed items and bag them for Yami, he took the money the male offered and said no more waiting for Yami to leave. Yami picked up the bag and watched at Yugi, he gave a sigh and turned to the door to leave.

'Thank you Yugi' Yami whispered before walking out into the street again.

Yami gave a small sigh as he walked among the crowds again; he could pick up on Yugi's unease about being in his presence, there was no chance that Yugi could ever forgive him, and he needed to forget about the small male. Yami stopped as he looked up at a butchers shop and gave a small hum before entering.

* * *

><p>Joey sat watching Yami curiously as he sat in front of the large dragon bashing and stirring the ingredients together so they became a rather green mess in the bowl, an uncooked chicken that Yami had bought sat by his side and tempted the sick dragon, but she made no effort in reaching for it. Yami then stopped and gave a small sigh of relief then pulling the chicken closer he started to fill the inside with the medicine.<p>

'So…what's that?' Joey asked finally.

'It's a cure' Yami explained with a smile as he scooped some more out 'This disease is quite common among dragons, but it can also be fatal'.

Picking up on the negative word Joey's back tensed 'M-Mum's gonna be alright isn't she?'

'Yes Joey. I was taught how to cure this when several of the dragons back home came down with it' Yami finished packing the last handful of medicine in and stood up 'For a while it's easily curable, but leave it too long there's nothing no one can do' Yami then turned to the dragon 'Can you open your mouth please?'

The dragon gave a hum but opened her mouth so Yami could toss the chicken inside her large jaws; she happily succumbed to the taste and ate away with it before allowing Yami to stroke over her head to praise her.

'You'll feel a little sluggish for a while…so I don't suggest flying or anything, but you're going to be fine'.

Yami then gave a small yelp as Joey hugged him tightly with a small laugh 'Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I was going to lose her forever without you here!'

Yami gave a smile and eased the blonde's arms away 'I'm sure you would have thought of it soon Joey'.

'Like hell! I've never learnt any of this dragon stuff. You're a god Yami'.

Yami gave a chuckle but turned when he heard a familiar groan coming from one of the tunnels, he frowned at the darkness before turning to Joey who simply stared unfazed at the noise they had all heard.

'You didn't say there was another dragon here' Yami commented.

'Ah don't worry' Joey reassured 'It's just this old dark dragon that hangs out here, he doesn't bother us'.

'A dark dragon? Do you know how dangerous they are?'

'W-Well yeah…but like I said he doesn't bother anyone…unless you do something to piss him off…'

Yami was about to argue back but when hearing a crunch he turned to see a head poke through the darkness, it's red burning eyes was focused on the small group as it crawled over the rocks with the hook like wings, it stopped and stared at them watching Yami in particular before it gave a rumble and turned to crawl over the rocks and down another route. The two teens stood and listened as they heard the movements of rocks disappear before they were alone once more, Yami then turned to Joey who gave a nervous smile.

'Like I said, doesn't hurt us' Joey defended.

'Joey there's a reason no one likes the dark dragons' Yami scolded 'They're violent and dangerous, you should not be sharing a cave with one'.

'I know but…I had no other choice…mum was sick and I needed a place where she wasn't in danger…this was the only choice'.

Yami gave a heavy sigh but glanced to the dragon who still looked sickly despite taking the remedy, he shook his head before thumbing to the exit 'We best go…your mother needs all the rest she can get'.

'Yeah' Joey turned to his mother and hugged her head gently so he did not cause her harm 'Bye mum…I'll check on you tomorrow okay?'

Yami waited a few moments so Joey could savour the time with his parent before both of them headed off through the cave on their own, Joey kept glancing to Yami as they made their way back to the house, Joey rubbed the back of his head feeling ashamed that Yami had scolded him for being near a dark dragon.

'Are…you mad at me now?' Joey asked.

'No Joey…I'm just unsure is all' Yami answered honestly.

Joey gave a smile and patted Yami on the back 'You're a really great guy…you know that?' Yami gave a small shrug out of shyness 'I'm glad you're staying for a while…I've never noticed how lonely I've been'.

'Yeah, I'm glad too' Yami looked up as they reached the small house before sighing 'I guess I'm home'.

*******************************End of chapter 6******************************

Yeah I'm sure we won't meet Yugi again.

Doubt it…

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	7. Problem solving

I shall recover their lost friendship!

Or…something along the lines anyway.

* * *

><p>Chapter 7-Problem solving<p>

Yami stayed with Joey a few more days making sure that his mother was on the route to recovery, the blonde did not mind and enjoyed Yami's presence as he helped him with his everyday tasks; they were usually to do with getting enough food to survive through the day and repairing the poor maintenance of Joey's home. It was rough, but Joey managed to find some comfort and happiness in his busy life, so Yami did as well.

Joey had finally decided to fix the door when they returned home once and found the door wide open again, Yami stood back and watched as Joey handled his axe tightly and swung at one of the nearby trees with force, Yami could not help but flinch even though he knew that Earth dragons had immense strength. Joey gave it another swing before backing away as the tree creaked and toppled over with a loud thud, he turned to Yami as he rested the axe on his shoulder with a grin.

'Jealous?' He asked teasingly.

Yami gave a small smile 'Each to their own Joey' Yami called back.

'Yeah yeah' Joey moved closer to the tree before turning back to Yami 'You going to help? It's still damn heavy you know'.

Yami gave a smile but helped the blonde; Joey took the base of the tree to drag along the ground while Yami took the lush top and tried to push it, trying to match Joey's strength with no avail. With a small bit of sweat work the two had pushed the fallen tree out into the open and Joey took no time to start hacking it into smaller pieces, Yami took the smaller chopped pieces from the blonde and tried his best to shape them into workable materials, finding a small use in speeding up the process it would have taken Joey on his own.

'Hello!'

Yami snapped out of his focused trance and looked up at Joey 'You've been sitting there for hours slicing the same piece of wood'.

'Huh?' Yami looked down and indeed the rough piece of wood he was given had now become nearly flimsy in his hold, too thin to work with 'Oh…sorry…'

Joey watched as Yami tossed it aside and picked up another piece to start the long work on it again, Joey gave a sigh and sat next to Yami putting his axe to the side 'What's on your mind?'

'Nothing…really'.

'Well that's the biggest bull crap I've heard. Seriously, what's on your mind?'

Yami gave a sigh and shrugged his shoulders 'Just…thinking of someone, it's nothing'.

'Oh yeah?' Joey smirked leaning closer 'A…girlfriend perhaps?'

'No nothing like that' Yami reassured lightly 'A friend I suppose'.

'You suppose? You mean you don't know?'

'We…had a disagreement sort of' Yami replied vaguely as he turned back to the piece of wood 'So…now I can't be sure if he still considers me a friend or not'.

'Right…' Joey watched him silent before rolling his head back 'Whatcha disagree on?'

Yami bit his lip knowing that if he told Joey about Yugi being a normal being he would be titled as a hypocrite after his scolding about their neighbour dragon, he looked away and tried to think of a way to divert around the "normal" aspect of Yugi 'Joey…what's your opinion on humans and dragons living in peace again?'

Joey gave a snort 'Never going to happen' He answered 'Too much crap has happened between us…that and first chance they get they'll be back to slaughtering us'.

Yami gave a small smile 'Well that's what we disagreed on'.

'Which side you on? For or against?'

'For…giving people the benefit of the doubt is always a right choice'.

'Unless they stab you in the back' Joey rested on his knees 'Well whatever you two said, my mum always told me that if there's a problem the best way to solve it is to speak it out. So if you and your friend talk about this problem, you can sort it out right?'

Yami gave a hum and a nod 'I suppose so…maybe…'

Joey sighed and patted Yami's shoulder 'You're a very strange guy Yami…a bit too kind at times though'.

Yami gave a small smile but returned to his work, leaving the conversation as it was and giving some more thought to the advice.

* * *

><p>Yami laid awake in his bed that night thinking to himself and hearing Joey's faint snoring noises, he glanced over at his friend one last time seeing him deep into his sleep so he would not notice Yami moving around, Yami stood up and quietly crept to the door to shut it behind himself. Once he was outside he looked out to the faint outline of the city ahead of them, Yami bit his lip but got his legs walking in the direction of the city.<p>

Despite the suspicion of him arriving at the city so late at night the guards let Yami go through with a glare of warning, but Yami did not feel threatened as he knew there was only one place he wanted to go to, and depending how the situation went he was not going to cause trouble. He walked through the streets of the city, retracing his steps before he looked up at the dark remedy shop, no lights were on which only told Yami that Yugi was in his room at the back.

Yami slipped between the buildings until he came to the green patch of grass behind the house, he looked up at the windows trying to remember where Yugi's room was before he searched and found a small rock in the grass, he looked up to the window and gently threw the stone so it hit the glass but not enough to break it. Yami waited a few moments and watched as Yugi came to the window and looked out, they shared a few moments of glance before Yugi disappeared before opening the back door so he stood outside with Yami.

Silence passed between before Yugi spoke 'Yami, what are you doing here?' Yugi hissed quietly making sure none of the neighbours heard them.

'I had to see you' Yami explained also quietly 'I…I couldn't let you hate me without an explanation…or something'.

Yugi crossed his arms over his chest realising why Yami was there 'Oh' Was his only reply.

Yami gave a sigh 'I know…you must hate me and I know why you must hate me; I've had all the talks and such. But I wasn't going to hurt you; I didn't mean to lie to you'.

'But you did' Yugi backfired.

'I know…but only because if I did you wouldn't have helped me, you would have shunned me without question…and I felt like you were my friend, I didn't want you to ignore me' Yugi gave a sigh and looked away making Yami bravely step closer to touch Yugi's arm 'We were friends…weren't we?'

Yugi stepped back out of his touch and muttered 'I don't know'.

Yami closed his eyes tightly 'You trusted in me before…I haven't changed, why don't you trust me now?' Yugi did not answer which told Yami more than words did; he gave one last sigh but turned to walk away whispering 'I'm sorry' to Yugi before leaving the teen. Despite his efforts there was no other way of convincing Yugi to rekindle their friendship, he had to leave it as that and forget everything about their time spent together.

* * *

><p>Joey could not help but notice Yami's more secluded mood, the previous day he at least did some work but now he was too absorbed in his thoughts to move his hands, Joey watched him for a few minutes while he continued to work trying to think of a discussion. He then smirked and moved closer to Yami, leaning to his ear and whispering.<p>

'So Yami…were there any cute girls where you came from?' Joey asked slyly.

Yami looked up at him before giving a shrug 'I guess…'

'What do you mean "I guess"?' Joey sat next to him 'You must've had a girlfriend or something right?'

Yami shook his head 'No, I wasn't really interested in the girls'.

Joey stared at him before raising his brow 'Boyfriend then?'

Yami gave a soft chuckle and shook his head 'No. I wasn't interested in anyone like that'.

'Oh…' Joey looked away before turning back to him 'You saying you've never kissed anyone? Not even once?'

Yami shook his head 'Why? Is that important?'

'No it's just…well a guy like you…should've got with someone you know?'

Yami shrugged his shoulders 'Why haven't you got with someone? No one fits your tastes?'

Joey gave a small chuckle 'No more like I fit no one's tastes; kinda hard to show off your strength when you can tear through rocks easily'.

Yami gave a small smile 'Yeah I suppose that's tough'.

Joey gave a small nod but glanced to Yami with a small look, Yami looked up and caught Joey's glance but understood the deeper meaning. Joey leant closer and closed his eyes as did Yami, their lips almost touching before they heard someone clearing their throat, they looked up to see Yugi standing in front of them.

'Yugi' Yami stood up and looked to Joey 'Uhh…'

'I'll leave you two alone' Joey stood up and walked away leaving Yami and Yugi on their own.

Yami took the chance to pull Yugi away further so they were alone and turned to Yugi 'How did you know I was here?'

Yugi shrugged his shoulders 'I…went looking for you' Yugi explained rubbing his arm 'And then I heard your voice…and you were talking to your friend'.

Yami gave a small smile at the sound of Yugi having searched for Yami, the male then moved closer carefully to further his curiosity.

'Then…why did you look for me? I thought you didn't want to know me anymore'.

'I don't know…when you left…I felt guilty. The things you said…I liked you as a friend; you're the first friend I really ever made and…didn't make fun of me or something like that. I thought that maybe I had to be stupid if I was to…let you go then I'd never forgive myself'.

Yami gave a small smile and reached out to touch Yugi's shoulder 'Thank you Yugi…I didn't want to let you go either'.

Yugi then shrugged his hand away 'B-But I'm still upset that you lied to me. Despite it being protecting yourself. How do you expect me to trust you if you lie to me? What if you lie again?'

'I know. And I'm really sorry Yugi. I won't lie to you ever again, I swear'.

Yugi gave a nod but managed to break out a small smile 'T-That and…well I'm starting to…get lousy again and I need you to tell me what to do…I'm stupid eh?'

Yami gave a small chuckle 'It's okay, I can help you if you want'.

Yugi gave a nod and looked fine before tears weld up in his eyes and in a short moment he threw himself at Yami to hug him tightly as he sobbed into his chest, Yami could not do anything apart from hug Yugi back and wait for his teary moment to pass over, the two standing in complete silence except for Yugi's sobs.

********************************End of chapter 7*****************************

Oh come on! It's a story about dragons! Dragonshipping! Seemed kinda obvious!

But anyway, it seems that Yugi is trying to make amends; can't blame the kid can ya? Or can you?

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	8. Dragonlore

My god…

Dragonlore…must now become a word.

* * *

><p>Chapter 8-Dragonlore<p>

Yami kept an eye out for Yugi the next day after receiving a promise he would visit his friend in the morning, Joey watched Yami stand and look around the scenery like a guard dog until he sighed and poked Yami's back to gain his attention, Yami turned to Joey seeing his serious face and guessed what he was going to say.

'That kid…he's a normal right?' Joey asked unsurely. Yami could not lie to him and gave a nod of agreement 'You know how dangerous that is right?'

'I know Joey…but he's my friend. And I know that he shares the same view as everyone else, but I think I can break through to him and who knows maybe it'll start something'.

'Or it'll end up with us getting betrayed and killed' Joey looked over Yami's shoulder seeing Yugi climbing up the path before he sighed and backed off 'You do what you like Yami just…be careful'.

'I will Joey' Yami watched his blonde friend leave before turning to Yugi as he walked closer to Yami and ended up giving a small smile, something that Yami was happy to see.

'Hey…' Yugi greeted quietly.

'Hey. You okay?'

Yugi gave a nod 'Yeah. Told grandpa that I was just…getting some things and such'.

Yami smiled but gestured to the woods 'Well there are a lot of plants and such in the woods around here, I'm sure that'll convince your grandfather'.

'I-I haven't got a knife'.

'You don't need one. You have hands' Yami turned to walk into the woods with Yugi following him closely behind as he watched the woods sceptically.

* * *

><p>Yugi and Yami continued to collect herbs and roots for Yugi's grandfather so it would look like he had indeed went out to collect ingredients, Yugi seemed to be happy walking with Yami in the woods and pulling the plants out from the ground, though he protested in having a knife Yami showed him how to pull them out with his raw strength.<p>

Yugi was bent down at a flowering herb, he quickly apologised to the flower before grasping it and pulling it out of the ground, Yami moved closer and held the flowers lightly in his hand before taking the seeds out.

'Here, so they can continue growing' Yami dropped the seeds in the open hole they had made before covering it over again.

Yugi gave a small smile and put the herb with the small pile he had collected before looking up at Yami 'Hey Yami…'

'Mmm?'

'I hear…that Dragonlore is good' Yami looked up at the teen noticing him playing with his clothes out of nerves 'Do you…know any?'

'Yes' Yami answered and gave a smile at Yugi's curiosity 'Would you like to hear some?'

Yugi gave a shy nod 'I-I don't' know…where to begin though'.

Yami gave a light chuckle 'Well we have all sorts of stories. You can pretty much ask for anything and no doubt there's a Dragonlore about it'.

Yugi bit his lip before hugging his knees and rocking back slightly 'W-Well…i-is there one about dragons changing? Y-You know into humans…they still do that right?'

Yami gave a nod and sat back 'Well it all starts with an old dragon by the name of Koorei; he travelled around the world until he came across a small village, there he saw a woman who was mighty beautiful and fell in love with her but he knew that she would never love a beast like him. So every day he watched the humans and studied them, and every day he tried to make himself look like any other human, always watching his love from afar. Years passed and finally Koorei managed to successfully turn himself into a human, but by then the woman had grown old and already married and had a family of her own. Koorei was broken hearted but decided to live his life in self-pity and instead went around the world teaching the new born dragons how to change into humans. And that's the story'.

Yugi gave a smile after Yami finished his story 'That's such a sad story'.

'Yeah…a lot of them have sad endings' Yami explained but shrugged his shoulders 'But they have a lot of meaning and explain a lot as well'.

'So which one is your favourite?' Yugi asked.

'I think…it would have to be the light dragon story' Yami hummed.

'What's that about?' Yugi queried.

'It's about this man who befriended a light dragon—they're the most pure of dragons supposedly—the man, Kazuo, saw how dark the world had become and decided to bring light into the world. He mounted his dragon friend, Akio, and together they flew off to the tallest mountain and broke the darkness with the light dragons light and made the world a better place' Yami gave a small chuckle 'Sounds a little childish doesn't it?'

'Mm…but it's still quite nice' Yugi played with a blade of grass he had pulled out 'What happened to the man and the dragon?'

'Well…the story was supposed to have happened thousands of years ago. Not to mention the tallest peak in the land is constantly in snow. They probably died; if the snow didn't beat them old age or hunger'.

Yugi hummed 'Well that's a downer…was he a Dragonchild like you?'

Yami shook his head 'He was a regular human like you. We all used to live in harmony before you know'.

Yugi gave a small nod before sighing 'I wonder what it must've been like to be close to a dragon…' Yugi mused quietly but Yami heard enough and got an idea in his mind 'A-Ah Yami there was something I needed help with…'

'Sure go ahead' Yami listened to Yugi and gave him advice while in the back of his mind he started to concoct a plan.

* * *

><p>After pestering Joey with questions he got the information he needed; he was given the information that a wind dragon and her baby lived not too far from their home, and it was just what Yami needed for his plan. He stood out on the path and waited for Yugi to arrive, right on cue he walked down the path and gave a smile when he spotted Yami just ahead.<p>

'Hey Yami' Yugi greeted when he got closer 'Did you come to meet me?'

'Sort of' Yami answered and held his hand out 'There's something I wanted to show you today'.

'Okay' Yugi took Yami's hand and followed him further down the path leaving Joey's home behind and going deep into the endless fields that surrounded the city.

After a while Yugi became suspicious and looked around cautiously looking out for something that seemed to value their trip, however with their quiet air and the trek off the path and onto the deep green grass Yugi questioned if they had an actual purpose to their adventure.

'Yami what are we doing out here?' Yugi asked as he lightly brushed his hair back 'There's nothing here'.

'There will be' Yami reassured and looked to the sky 'Any minute now'.

Yugi raised his brow and looked to the sky confused before there was a small roar, Yami could feel Yugi's body stiffen through their hands as a dragon started to fly closer from the distance, when it got too close for them Yugi turned to leave but Yami held his hand tightly and pulled him back to his spot.

'It's okay, I'll look after you' Yami reassured quietly before the dragon landed near them, it's large and more spacious wings created a small breeze over the two making them cringe slightly but unharmed.

It was smaller than most dragons—more like the size of a small house—it had a faint turquoise colour over its scales and the skin that stretched out for its wings folded into many piles as it was too large for it to retract to its body.

Yugi had placed himself behind Yami and held to his shirt in fear as the dragon gave odd whimpering noises and looked down at them curiously, its head tilting from side to side as it inspected the two teens.

'It's okay. It won't harm us it's just a baby' Yami reassured before holding out a hand to the dragon, it gently moved its head closer and checked Yami's hand for any immediate sign of danger before allowing itself to move its head into Yami's touch and Yami stroked over its scales casually 'Go on, just let it smell you and it'll be fine'.

'I-I don't know…' Yugi whimpered.

'Please Yugi, you wanted to know what it's like…I wouldn't put you in danger'.

Yugi bit his lip but eased himself from Yami's protective back and shakily reached his hand out, the dragon gave a snort and turned to Yugi's hand making him almost retracting it back but he braved it and kept it held out so the dragon could smell his hand before moving to his touch and encouraging him to stroke his forehead.

Yugi gave a shy smile and let himself stroke over the scales, Yami watched with a smile seeing that Yugi was enjoying himself as the dragon moved its head into Yugi's body making the small teen giggle and having to hug him lightly, Yami watched happy that his plan was working. Yugi ended up giggling and making coo comments over the baby for a while, but then both looked up when they heard a distant roar which made the dragon whine at response.

'The mother' Yami whispered before they both cringed as the dragon flapped its wings before taking off into flight, the two watched it fly into the distance calling back to its mother before it was out of sight.

Yami gave a sigh before turning to Yugi with a smile 'So did you enjoy today?'

Yugi sighed and turned to Yami 'Don't…ever do that again Yami…'

'What? But I thought you liked it?'

'I was terrified I thought…!' Yugi sighed and shook his head turning away 'Just don't do it again Yami'.

Yami watched Yugi walk away with a sad look before trailing behind him, he had thought Yugi would have enjoyed the chance to bond with a dragon, but Yami did not want to make the assumption that Yugi was lying out of spite.

* * *

><p>Joey kept looking back to Yami as he sat at the door that night looking out into the night sky, his quiet nature only meant something had not gone right with Yugi and Joey pieced together what might have happened, he sighed and turned to Yami patting his back.<p>

'Hey, whatever happened between you and Yugi can't be that bad right?' Joey asked.

Yami gave a small smile and shrugged his shoulders 'I don't know I just…I guess I presumed too much…'

'Hey take it from me. Humans will always make you second doubt yourself, but don't let them do that. Gets in your head and stuff you know?'

Yami nodded 'Yeah thanks Joey'.

Joey watched as Yami went back to looking into the night sky, Joey shrugged his shoulders but turned back into the house knowing that he had tried all he could to advice Yami, he decided that Yami would figure out to do on his own. But in truth Yami was not sure what to do, he had hoped showing Yugi the kinder side of dragons would convince him, but maybe it was too much to put on Yugi at once. He was lucky that Yugi still considered him a friend after the stunt.

********************************End of chapter 8*****************************

Well I'm sure the Dragonlore won't be important at some point.

And Yugi did seem to enjoy being with a dragon! I'm sure baby dragons are very cute and bouncy…like all babies.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	9. Understanding

Yugi…so confusing…

So cute…

* * *

><p>Chapter 9-Understanding<p>

Joey noticed Yami's slow work pace and he could not help but feel a little slow as well whenever he watched his friend, the male had been depressed about Yugi for a while, and his unfortunate trait of keeping his problems to himself only made it hard to help Yami. Yami did not want to bother Joey with such a trivial disturbance—especially since Joey had strong opinions about Yugi—but the more he kept to himself the more it ate away at his conscience.

What if Yugi found himself more scared of Yami's people? He might cut ties with Yami and their friendship, or worse tell dragon hunters about their whereabouts and send them to certain death. Yami did not want to think Yugi could do such a terrible deed, but then he could not judge people just because he liked them.

'Yami?' Yami looked up before seeing Yugi standing in front of him.

'Yugi' Yami stood up and brushed his clothes lightly 'I-I wasn't…'

'Can we…talk?' Yugi asked quietly looking back at Joey who tried to ignore them.

'Sure' Yami led Yugi further down the path so they were alone to have a quieter talk 'What's wrong Yugi?'

Yugi rubbed his arm nervously and made sure his eyes were anywhere but on Yami 'I…this might sound…hypocritical of me but…c-can I see another dragon?'

Yami stared at Yugi after hearing his plead before bringing his sense back to its rightful place 'Y-You what?'

'I-I just…I couldn't stop thinking about it…a-and I thought…w-well if you were there to look after me…I-I might…learn something or…something…'

'Tomorrow' Yami said hastily but with a smile 'Tomorrow you'll see a dragon, is that okay?'

'S-Sure…I'll be there…i-is it the same dragon?'

'No it's a more…older and tamer dragon' Yami reassured with a smile 'It'll be fine'.

* * *

><p>'No' Joey answered.<p>

'Please' Yami pleaded as he moved closer to the blonde 'Yugi just wants to see one more dragon to clear his confusion about us and dragons, if he meets your mother and sees how gentle she is, he'll be on our side and who knows where that'll lead'.

'No, he'll back stab us and tell the hunters where my mum is and kill her!' Joey sighed and turned away 'I'm not putting my mother at that risk'.

'She's not at risk. Yugi wouldn't hurt anything; he protected me when a dragon hunter was looking for me'.

'Would you put your father on the line Yami?' Joey fired back 'Would you let some pathetic normal person see him and roll the dice for his fate?'

'He's not pathetic!' Yami growled back 'He could be the beacon of a new future!'

'He's like everyone else! He'll betray you and kill us all! Didn't your village learn that when it was burnt to nothing?'

'That's completely different!' Yami snarled 'You don't know anything about it you can't make a comparison!'

'It is the same! We aren't supposed to exist, the normal people have made that quite clear and if you can't see that Yami you're more blind then the other idiots!'

Yami gave a heavy sigh and watched as Joey walked past him to deal with something to distract himself from Yami 'Joey' Yami called to him, but when the blonde did not listen he glared some more 'Joey!'

'What?' Joey snapped back turning to his friend.

'I need to do this…' Yami explained slowly.

'Why? Why does any of it matter? We'll always be hated, and even if you do convince Yugi that's one insignificant person. He's a no one! No one will listen to him and no one will listen to you! It's pointless'.

'And if it's not? We could be wasting away the opportunity of the future, our children's future and their children's future. We can't throw that away'.

Joey gave a suspired and was silent for a few moments 'Fine' He strained through his teeth before turning to Yami 'But if he hurts my mother. I swear I'll kill him and you'.

Yami gave a large smile but nodded at the terms 'Yes. You won't regret it Joey'.

* * *

><p>Yugi returned the next day and he could tell by Yami's eager face that he kept up to his promise, reassuring Joey one last time Yami left with Yugi and showed him the path to the mouth on the mountain, Yugi peered into the darkness but looked up as Yami lit the torch with his hands and ventured into the rocky path.<p>

'Keep close, it's easy to lose yourself in here' Yami warned making the smaller male hurry closer to Yami and glue to his side.

Yami recalled the path Joey had once shown him before and they soon met the small stream running through the cavern and the large dragon resting on the higher rock, Yami put out the torch in the water before moving closer, holding Yugi's hand to help him across the jagged rocks. Once Yugi reached the platform he looked up at the golden dragon with awe, it lifted its head up and looked to Yami and Yugi with confusion, but when she recognised Yami she turned to him expecting an answer.

'This is Yugi' Yami explained giving a small bow making Yugi copy his actions 'He's a friend'.

She gave a hum and a bow back before resting her head on her legs to show she was content and comfortable in their presence.

'Wow…' Yugi gasped as he took in the dragons' appearance 'So amazing…'

'She's been ill' Yami explained checking her over 'So I'm just checking her over to make sure she's on the mend'.

'Oh right' Yugi caught up with Yami as they walked round to her side to observe her missing scale wounds, they were sore and still bright red but the bleeding had stopped and they looked as if they were making a recovery.

'That's horrible…' Yugi mumbled as Yami looked closer.

'Yes but these are healing over' Yami pointed to a small point that would was the same colour as the other scales, it was starting to grow back 'In a few short months they'll be back to normal and it'll be like nothing had happened'.

'I see…' Yugi let his hands reach up to stroke the unharmed scales feeling them under his touch 'This is so amazing…'

Yami smiled and let Yugi explore the dragon on his own while he checked over Joey's mother one last time, when he could see she was improving slowly he returned to Yugi who was sat in front of the dragon staring up at the facial features it had.

'Come on Yugi' Yami patted his shoulder making Yugi stand up 'We best leave, your grandfather will wonder where you are'.

'O-Oh sure' Yugi then gave a small bow to the dragon 'Hope you get better soon'.

Yami also gave another bow 'I'll tell Joey of your recovery'.

She gave a bow back and watched them walk across the small stream and disappear back into the dark tunnels.

Once they were outside in the woods again Yami turned to Yugi, he had the same satisfied smile on his face and Yami began to worry if Yugi was going to say the same thing, Yami cleared his throat before turning to Yugi 'So…how did you find today?'

'Amazing' Yugi answered making Yami's body loosen 'Thank you for this Yami…and I swear I won't tell another soul about this'.

'That's…that's good' Yami smiled and patted his shoulder 'Suppose you think differently about us right?'

Yugi gave a small shrug 'I guess so…there will always be the…troubled ones right?'

'Yeah…there will be…'

Yugi gave a small smile before shaking his head 'I'll…give the benefit of the doubt I suppose…it would be harsh of me to say no-eek!'

Yami had wrapped his arms around Yugi hugging him tightly while whispering 'Thank you' in his ear.

Yugi gave a faint blush but held Yami's sides 'A-Anytime' Yugi whispered back.

* * *

><p>Yami was lying in bed when it became night, his head resting in his hands as he looked up at the ceiling with a sigh, his thoughts centred around one person in particular. Joey walked in after making sure his home was safe for another night; he looked over at Yami with a frown before leaning over him and waving his hand in front of his eyes.<p>

'Yami?' Joey called out to him.

Yami looked to Joey instead of the distant spot on the ceiling 'Hmm?' He hummed dreamily.

'Oh god' Joey mumbled and climbed into his bed, ignoring Yami who went back to staring at the ceiling long into the night.

*********************************End of chapter 9****************************

Huh…Yami seems to be getting a bit dreamy.

And Yugi's finally accepted them. About time!

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	10. Departure

I've decided…to take out the dragons!

I kid, I kid. Nothing's been taken out as far as I know.

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><p>Chapter 10-Departure<p>

Yami walked around the woods early in the morning, agreeing with Joey that he would go out collecting various items from the woods, while Joey decided to go into town to buy food for them. The morning forest was cold, with a small mist hanging in between the trees, it created an air of insecurity as he walked around. However, Yami passed through it by trying to keep his mind focused on his task, which occasionally slipped towards thoughts of Yugi.

Yami stopped at a patch of herbs, bending down he brushed his fingers over the ferns, feeling the light touch it gave to his fingers. He hummed lightly before pulling up the plant, brushing off the dirt that hung on the roots, before stashing it away with everything else he had collected.

Yami then frowned, feeling that he was not alone in the woods, and looked around the woods. His gaze ended up being met with familiar red burning eyes, the black coated dragon perched on a ledge of the rocks as it stared down at Yami, both waiting for each other to make the first move.

"I smelled…the scent of human" The deep voice of the dragon rumbled, his mouth opening to show the sharp teeth he had inside, most probably to be threatening "What have you been doing?"

"Nothing that concerns you" Yami snapped back, glaring at the dragon.

"Insolent child!" Snarled the dragon "Your treasonous ways will kill all around you".

"I don't think so, I know what I'm doing elder, so please don't try to threaten me again".

The dragon gave a rumbling hum, standing up on its legs and towering over Yami "Heed my warning child, or face death".

Yami watched as the dragon walked away, using its large claws to grip onto the rocks of the mountain, before it disappeared back to the cave presumably. Yami waited a few moments, making sure the dark dragon did not pull a trick on him, before turning to the path back to Joey's house.

He knew what the old dragon meant, he had taken Yugi to that cave not but a few days ago, his scent would have been around in the cave for the dragon to realise. But to accuse Yugi of being harm to him, and his friends, was something Yami could not agree to. If he had been much like his father, a true dragon, he would have taken the dark dragon on for a duel for his words. He refused to believe that what he was doing would be anything but good.

* * *

><p>After his encounter—and threat—by the dragon, Yami felt it was safer to return to Joey's home and wait for a while, hoping that the dragon did not chase after him and such. It remained peaceful however, and Yami found himself relaxing for once, something he hadn't done for a while. He sat back in the seat against the table, going through the things he had collected on his hunt through the forest, checking over them for perfection and what he could use them for. The first thing that came to mind was Yugi. He was still teaching Yugi remedies, and was beginning to wonder if he would teach him something more advanced, if it would help boost their relationship. He wanted Yugi to be close to him whenever he could, it was a selfish desire, but an innocent and natural one he figured.<p>

Yami was interrupted from his thoughts with a loud bang, he turned to the door to see Joey, panting and sweating like he had been running and the food he had bought in a bag in his hand. He took a moment to catch his breath before walking in, turning to Yami and showing his worried eyes, gaining Yami's concern also.

"They know where my mum is!" Joey exclaimed, still gasping for breath "They're going to kill her!"

Yami stared up at him speechless, before pulling himself together and stood up from the table "We best get to her quickly, before anyone else reaches her".

The two left their belongings in the house, setting off in an immediate run towards the cave, hoping that speed was on their side. As they reached the cave, they saw no one else in the immediate area, but did not dawdle around the entrance to wait for them either. They delved into the cave, plunging back into the darkness as they tried to navigate around, occasionally tripping and running into the boulders that covered the cave floor. Soon, however, they reached Joey's mother.

The cavern was empty with the exception of Joey's mother, giving them the relief that the people had not found Joey's mother yet, but it was only a matter of time. Joey ran over to his mother, climbing up to the ledge that his mother rested on, she reared her head when she noticed the two teens and turned to her son. Joey ran over to his mother, hugging her head tightly, and putting his face into hers.

"Mum…they found you…you have to leave, before they reach you!"

The dragon gave a hum, looking up to Yami as he climbed up as well "You should be healthy enough to fly away, and now is the best time to try it".

The dragon gave a nod of agreement, pulling her head away from her sons' grip she forced herself to stand, stretching out her legs and wings. Once she was ridden of her stiff feeling, she rested her head down for the two teens, giving a small nod to her back. Joey and Yami understood what she meant, they hurried to her back, and sat themselves at the crook of her neck.

Once the two teens were sat on her back, she lifted her head up again and turned to the wall of the cavern. Her wings began to beat heavily until they lifted her body up, allowing her to fly towards the rocks, ducking her head she broke through the thick wall of rock. It took a while, but soon the tunnelling paid off, and the dragon broke out of the side of the mountain, taking flight once again into the sky. Yami looked back at the rough hole they had made, before facing back to his friend and the dragon as they soared through the sky, leaving the town and their home behind.

They flew through the air for a few hours, going over numerous empty fields, until they were far away enough from civilisation. The dragon began to tilt lower, allowing its body to reach to the ground before landing, lowering its head so Joey and Yami could slip off. Once the two had jumped off her back, Joey turned to his mouth once more, pressing his body against her head to hold it close.

"Be safe mum…" Joey whispered to her, small tears gaining his eyes.

The dragon gave a deep rumble, nuzzling back to her son in comfort before pulling away. She gave a loud roar as she beat her wings again, lifting up into the sky while she looked down at the two teens, hesitant to leave but turned away regardless to fly off into the distance. The two teens watched the shape of the dragon grow fainter in the sky, soon turning into a black outline, and then disappearing altogether.

Yami turned to Joey, watching the blond carefully before whispering "It's for the best Joey…"

"This is your fault".

Yami stared perplexed at his friend "What?"

Joey turned to him, glaring at him with hatred, and marched over to Yami. At his intimidating stance, Yami backed away, fearing for what Joey was planning to do to him.

"This is your fault! You and that stupid Yugi!" Joey growled, fists forming by his sides "I knew he couldn't have been trusted! And now he's told everyone about my mother, and they were going to kill her!"

"That's a lie!" Yami shouted back "Yugi promised he would never tell! And I believe him!"

"Well you're just as stupid as he is!" Came Joey's response "No one else knew where she was, only you, me and Yugi! I certainly didn't say anything, and you haven't been near town, so that only leaves him!"

"Anyone could have got into that cave!" Yami defended "Absolutely anyone could have found her! Yugi wouldn't do anything like that!"

"Then you're delusional! Yugi is the culprit, clear as day! You can't see it because you're so dosed up on love that you can't see a traitor if it's in front of you!"

"If you had looked after your mother better you wouldn't be in this situation!"

Joey then threw a punch at Yami, with his extra strength due to his heritage, he caused a lot more pain to Yami so he stumbled back and eventually fell over as he grasped his mouth. The gentle trickle of blood ran from his nose, and over his mouth.

"I did all I could for my mother!" Joey bellowed down at him "What did you do for your people huh?! Watch them get killed?!"

Yami then pushed himself up from the ground, throwing a punch at Joey, and hitting him in the cheek. The blond stumbled back, rubbing his bruised cheek, before turning to Yami again.

"I did all I could! Don't you dare say that!"

Joey then lunged at Yami, grabbing his shoulders and forcing him to the ground again, delivering several more punches to Yami who tried to feebly defend himself. He was forced to receive each hit, groaning and cringing in pain with each blow, feeling his skin bruise up in colours he did not want to imagine.

After bringing his point round forcefully, Joey let go of Yami and stood up from him, looking down at the bloody and purple male in front of him. Yami laid on the ground, panting as he felt the pain pulse over his body, regretting that he would have to move soon.

"I hate you!" Joey yelled "I hate you so much! I never want to see you again! Never come back again!"

Yami forced himself to sit up on his arms, watching the blond storm back towards the path, leaving his friend behind. Once again, Yami found himself alone.

Yami waited for a while, giving his body some time to consume the pain, and to clear his mind and to think about what had happened. He was not sure how it spurred so out of control, he never expected to ever fight with Joey, it felt surreal to him; regardless of whether it had happened or not, he felt that there was not much he could do to rekindle their friendship.

Yami gave a sigh when he waited long enough, forcing himself on shaky feet Yami turned to the path, figuring there was only one place he could go to for the night at least.

Yami stumbled along the road, rubbing his cheek and nose that continued to bleed, knowing he wouldn't aggravate Joey again anytime soon. Once coming close, Yami only briefly looked up to Joey's home as he walked past, he could not see the blond from where he was. He wanted to apologise, but knowing Joey's nature he would most likely receive another punch to the face, and he had taken more than enough damage from his beating.

He soon turned to the city, as he walked through the bustling evening streets, he could not help but keep checking every inch he could see from where he walked. The fear that he would be caught—by Kaiba or anyone—kept his back tense, and strangely, distracted him from the throbbing pain. He tried to quicken his pace through the streets, ignoring the sellers' callings as he aimed for one shop in particular.

Yami peeked through the shops window, seeing Yugi standing behind the counter and tending to a customer, his usual happy disposition playing out in front of him. He waited for the customer to leave the shop so it was empty, however while he waited, Yami could not help but think about what Joey had said. Would Yugi betray him? He was just beginning to get used to dragons, could Yami trust him? Or was he so deep in love he could not swim out?

He gave a sigh, shaking away the negative thoughts, and let himself into the shop. Yugi lifted his head, about to give the standard greeting, before realising it was Yami. At first, he was going to question about his appearance, but the beaten state Yami was in made his expression turn to worry.

"Y-Yami!" Yugi moved round the counter, standing in front of Yami and holding his face, causing a hidden blush to appear "Wh-What on earth happened to you? Are you alright?"

"We…got in a little fight…" Yami explained quietly, wincing as Yugi checked his bruises "Joey kicked me out…I was hoping…to stay here tonight. Is that allowed?"

Yugi bit his lip, looking up at Yami before nodding "Y-Yes, but you have to stay in my room. Okay?"

"Yes…"

"Well…come on then" Yugi took his hand, pulling him behind the counter "You're in such a mess, I can't believe Joey would do that to you".

* * *

><p>Yugi had stashed Yami away in his room, lying to his grandfather when he heard Yugi enter from the shop, and making sure his grandfather wouldn't enter his room for any reason. While he had the time, he cleaned Yami up; treating his bruises and handing him a handkerchief to deal with the blood, all the while commenting about how Joey could give such an attack.<p>

Yami stayed in the room for the rest of the evening, staying quiet and listening to the muffled conversation of Yugi and his grandfather down below, waiting for when Yugi would bring him his own food. It was much later on in the night before Yugi returned, shutting the door behind him he walked over to Yami, handing him a plate of food.

"I-It's not much…but…grandpa would notice" Yugi explained timidly.

"It's fine Yugi" Yami reassured, taking the plate off him and began eating.

Yugi sat himself next to Yami on the bed, giving a small sigh as he waited for Yami to finish, his gaze being anywhere but on Yami. Once every part of the food was gone, Yami gave a satisfied sigh and turned to Yugi, noticing his gaze elsewhere.

"Yugi…someone found out about Joey's mother" Yami spoke, resting the plate on the side table "He said someone told the hunters…he said you did it…you didn't…did you?"

"Wh-What?!" Yugi stammered flustered, he shook his head while turning to Yami "N-No I never! I haven't told anyone, I swear!"

"Okay…I believe you Yugi, I just wanted to make sure" Yami hung his head "I'll have to find out who though…"

Yugi watched Yami, tilting his head curiously "Is that what you argued about?"

"Yes…"

"You were…protecting me?" Yami gave a nod, earning a small smile from Yugi "I'm happy…oh, well, not happy that you got attacked. But, I'm happy you stuck up for me".

"I'll always defend you" Yami said. Looking down, he could not help but notice Yugi's hand on his lap, so reached out to hold it within his own. Yugi's face turned to a light pink, looking down at their linked hands "I'll always protect you".

Yugi looked up at Yami, confused at how the situation was playing out. Yami could feel his heart pump faster, flowing the adrenaline faster around his body as his thoughts became jumbled, he was not really quite sure what he was trying to do.

Yami leant himself closer, feeling his own blush deepen when he neared to Yugi's face. Yugi gave a soft whimper when Yami was mere inches away, closing his eyes instinctively, and holding tighter to Yami's hand. But it was more than enough to convince Yami.

He made the final lean, allowing their lips to touch in a soft and sweet kiss, giving him the satisfaction he had been craving for.

Yugi gave a small sigh, allowing himself to lean into the kiss as well, making it more intimate and deeper. It had been more than what he imagined; the real kiss was too perfect to ever be compared to his imaginative one. Yami allowed his spare hand to creep up to Yugi's face, gently caressing his cheek to praise him, before gently tipping him back onto the bed for the night.

********************************End of chapter 10****************************

It seems that Yami can't even hold two friends at once…

Wait a second…

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	11. The Catch

Oh no! I strike again!

And it's not even dreaded thirteen yet!

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><p>Chapter 11-The Catch<p>

Yami woke up the next morning, hearing the sounds of the morning street waking up, and the faint call of Yugi's grandfather. Yami gave a groan, stretching his body, before looking to the other. Yugi laid next to him, having fallen asleep the previous night, and opted to stay by Yami's side during the night. Yami figured, however, that it was because Yugi wanted to stay for the kisses. Not that he minded, he wanted Yugi to stay for the exact same reason, wanting to treasure every moment with the teen.

Yugi was still asleep, oblivious to his grandfather calling, and curled up into Yami's chest. He gave a small chuckle, and stroked over Yugi's shoulder while placing kisses on it, before shaking him lightly. Yugi gave a groan, hiding away into the pillows, until Yami managed to shake him awake.

Yugi opened his eyes, looking up at Yami, with tired and perplexed eyes "Y-Yami…? Wh…What is it?"

"Your grandfather, he's calling you" Yami replied, patting his shoulder lightly "I think it might be time for you to wake up".

"Oh…u-umm" Yugi sat up in bed, giving a small blush at the memory of their first kiss "I-I'll go see him then…I-I'll try to distract him, and you can slip out, okay?"

"Okay" Yami reached closer, placing a gentle kiss on Yugi's cheek, and making him blush to a pink colour.

Yugi gave an odd chuckle out of embarrassment, but slipped out of the bed, and headed to the door. He quickly gave his grandfather a short reply back, before shutting the door behind him, and leaving the small rumble of his hurried feet on the stairs. Yami could not help but chuckle, laying back down on the bed, and letting himself get consumed by his own thoughts.

The faint muffling of Yugi and his grandfather's voices kept Yami alert, trying to pick out certain words, and wait for an opportunity to leave. It soon fell quiet, and Yami was sure both of them had opened up the shop, leaving Yami the perfect moment to leave. He got himself dressed, and stood at the bedroom door, listening to make sure it was silent in the house. Once he was confirmed for an unnoticeable flee, he left through the back door, and walked down the morning streets.

He felt somewhat disappointed that he could not say his goodbyes to Yugi properly, but he remembered that he was not on the same level with Yugi, and the simple gestures that would be everyday life would turn into desired luxuries.

Yami kept his head low as he walked through the street, he was sure he knew none of the people he passed, but he did not want to run the risk of being noticed. He could see the gate open further down the street, and he gave a small sigh, and picked up his pace to reach it. He was not sure where he was going to go, he figured he would see Joey, and apologise for their argument the previous day.

Yami then stopped when he felt something prick his arm, giving a frown, he looked down at his arm to investigate the pain. A small black needle was stuck into his skin, letting a small dribble of blood run down his arm, along with a transparent liquid that seemed to be going inside his skin as well. A rush of panic went through him, as he took out the needle, and looked around the street. The crowd had grown thicker, but still, a few feet away Yami could make out an approaching Kaiba.

Yami turned to make a run for it, but he found his legs unbalanced, and wobbled under the pressure of speed and weight. Whatever the drug was Kaiba had injected into Yami, his body was feeling the effects of it, and dragging him down. He attempted to keep his balance, managing to weave through people effortlessly, but he found that his sight became hazy and it was difficult to keep his eyes open.

His body could not take much more, and with an odd sigh, passed out near the gates. Everyone noticed it, and was about to rush and help the young male, but the tall brunette brushed past and explained the situation to everyone. Once learning the truth, everyone backed away from the unconscious Yami, and began whispering and gossiping about the male. Allowing Kaiba to do what he wished to Yami.

* * *

><p>Yami began to wake up, after the jogging movement shook him from his deep slumber, and occasionally hit his head. His eyes opened weakly, while his ears registered the creaking and groaning of wood, trying to fit a picture together of what happened. But in his light dazed state, nothing made sense, as his mind came up with complete garbage. He could not even remember what had happened prior to when he woke up, was he doing anything of interest?<p>

"Awake are you?" Asked a chilling voice.

Yami turned his head, which caused it to pulse with numbness, but forced himself to look up at the male sitting across him. Kaiba had his legs crossed over, along with his arms, and was sat watching Yami intently. The jogging and odd sounds seemed to be coming from the cart they were riding in, pulled along by a horse, and controlled by a man Yami did not know. Their destination was along a path, leading to somewhere Yami was not sure, but the endless surrounding fields gave Yami the clue that they were nowhere near the city anymore.

Yami tried to push himself up, struggling at first when he realised his hands were bound, and had to shrug himself up to a sitting position. His body still swarmed with imbalance, and desired to rest down on the wooden seats, but Yami forced his body upright.

"Don't even think about going anywhere" Kaiba warned lowly "I've got you know, and there's no way you can escape so easily".

"Where…where are we going…?" Yami asked, though it was slurred.

"Hmph. I would've thought you could guess".

Yami kept his head low, realising what Kaiba had meant. He was a hunter after all, and he had been after Yami for as soon as they met, it was clear what Kaiba had in mind. Whether he was going to be on his own, or if he was going to meet more of his brothers and sisters, Yami was sure that he was going to die. Yami kept quiet as they moved, knowing that Kaiba was right, and that any attempt to escape was futile.

The cart continued to bump along the path, climbing over the hills, and venturing through fields of wildflowers. Though the scenery was beautiful, and at any other time Yami might have been interested to state, with Kaiba keeping his glare on Yami and the thought of his death looming closer, Yami could not admire anything pleasant.

"What the-?" Yami lifted his head up at Kaiba's voice, finally noticing the male was staring at something other than himself "What happened here?"

Yami turned around, his eyes widening at the destructive sight, which replaced the once peaceful area. What looked like to be a town, had been replaced with burned ruins. Homes reduced to their bare black timbers, rubble left in piles around the town, and there even seemed to be a few crisp corpses left behind. It was clear who the perpetrator was, and it made Yami turn his head away in shame, but Kaiba watched on in disgust.

"A dragon came down and attacked this village" The driver explained, only lightly turning his head at the destruction "It lives in the nearby mountains, one of those black dragons".

"Yes, those kinds are extremely dangerous" Kaiba then glanced at Yami, noticing his head hung, and averting his gaze from the terrible sight "What's the matter? Can't digest what your own kind can do?"

Yami said nothing, not giving in to Kaiba's taunts, and kept his head low. The cart passed through the town, leaving the corruption behind, and returning to the path ahead of them. Kaiba had attempted to get a response out of Yami, no doubt wanting an excuse to hit him, but Yami kept himself quiet for those exact reasons. Kaiba soon left Yami alone, knowing he was not going to get a response from him, and focused on the path ahead of them.

* * *

><p>The path continued up into the mountains, chopping through a forest, and going along a broad cliff face. Yami kept his head down, trying to accept that his death was coming, not wanting to give the male the satisfaction of begging or wriggling. However, after a while of traveling along the dirt road, Yami felt his back snap up and the feeling of not being alone. He knew what it had meant, and it only spelt trouble being near Kaiba and the other man, he had no other choice but to give in.<p>

"Kaiba you have to listen to me" Yami hissed, trying to slide his hands out of his binds "We have to turn around, now! Something bad is going to happen!"

"Tch, your words mean nothing to me" Kaiba snapped.

Everyone's heads lifted at the sound of a distant roar, echoing from the mountains, and lightly creating a breeze which swayed the trees. Kaiba sat still, glaring at Yami, knowing what he had attempted to say to him.

"What's going on?" He asked lowly.

"Up there!" The driver shouted, pointing to the mountains "Dragon!"

Kaiba and Yami looked up to the mountain side, seeing a black dragon crawl over the rocks and ground of the mountain, its sight set on the cart that had stopped in fear. Once the dragon had reached a ledge, it beat its wings and took off into a jump, aiming for the cart. Kaiba and the man quickly fled from the cart, but with Yami's hands still bound, he was left struggling for survival along with the horse.

The dragon landed on the cart, smashing it to pieces and throwing Yami off, hitting the ground a few times before coming to a rolling stop. The male groaned at his bruises, but forced himself up, and stare at the dragon. It gave a low hiss as it stared at Kaiba and the man, the two attempting to not break the stare from the creature, and yet back into the woods for safety. No matter how tough Kaiba made himself to be, Yami knew he had no chance against a dragon by himself, he had to protect the other two.

Yami began to rub his binds quickly against the rocky path, his eyes desperately flittering between Kaiba's wellbeing and the condition of his binds, uncaring of the few scratches that came to his wrists as he continued to break them. They soon snapped apart, allowing his wrists to move, and to form a fireball in his hands which he hit the dragon with. With the small singeing pain, the dragon turned its attention to Yami, who stood by himself and beckoned the dragon closer.

"Why don't you pick on someone your level?" Yami taunted, taking a few steps back to entice the dragon.

The dragon easily gave in to the bait, ignoring Kaiba and the driver, and proceeding closer to Yami. Yami continued to back away from the black beast, then glancing to Kaiba.

"Kaiba get out of here!" Yami shouted "While you still can!"

Yami watched as Kaiba briefly talked to the driver, and the both of them ran off up the path, away from the danger. Yami did not care what was going to happen to him, he was already sentenced to death, so he preferred that he was going to die while attempting to save two other people.

Yami ducked out of the way as the dragon drove its claws into the ground, rolling out of its path, and ducking behind a nearby tree before it spotted him. Catching his breath back, Yami pressed himself firmly against the tree, and sent out a silent message to his father. He knew the dragon would sense it, and find him easily, but it was the only way he could even match against another dragon. Yami gave a yelp when there was a crack, and the tree broke away, making Yami scurry away from the attacking dragon. The trees provided little cover from Yami, as the dragon tore the trees apart, and decimated the forest.

Yami tried to keep away from the beasts' attacks, hoping to keep the dragon distracted long enough for his message to be heard, but not even he could outwit a dragon. With the skim of the trees destroyed, Yami was an easy target, and was thrown to the path with a hit. Yami gave a grunt, attempting to push himself up, but the dragon dug its claws over him and trapped him against the floor.

Yami looked up as the dragon leaned over him, growling at the young male, and opening its mouth ready to attack. Yami attempted to wriggle himself free, but it was no use, he was pinned down easily. Yami looked up to the sky, hearing the beats of wings, and saw a distant dark shape growing closer.

The dragon lifted its head up, just as Yami's father came down, and bit the rogue dragons' neck deeply. The black dragon gave a roar of pain, letting go of Yami, and attempting to shrug the dragon off. Blood seeped from its wounds as it managed to pull its neck free, and faced the larger dragon, hissing threateningly at it. The two dragons began circling each other slowly, waiting for the other to make the first move, and to strike at the right opportunity.

Yami quickly moved out of the way, right as his father charged at the other dragon, and chomped on its back. The dragon gave another roar, trying to move away from the attack, but resorted to biting Yami's fathers' neck. The two dragons tussled with each other, teeth and claws going into each other's skin, until they tumbled over into a fighting mess. Yami gave a cringe as they pushed each other into the woods, hearing the trees snap, and the shaking thuds of them collapsing. As soon as they stood up, they lunged back at each other again, throwing themselves further into the forest with claws and teeth buried deep in them.

"Dad! Watch out for the cliff!" Yami tried to warn, following the trail of destruction.

The two dragons continued to fight with each other, until they parted from their grips, and stood to a standstill. Hissing lowly at each other, the dragons began to circle each other by the cliff edge, until the black dragon lunged at the other. Teeth and claws clashed again, as they attacked one another, and forced each other to roll off the cliff.

Yami watched in horror as the two dragons tipped over the edge, both giving echoing roars as they disappeared down to the ground, cutting off with a loud thud at their landing. Yami felt his body quake, and the urge to vomit swelled up in his stomach, waiting to hear anything to signify his father's safety.

Yami managed to force his body to move closer to the cliff edge, stepping back when a few loose stones crumbled away, but knelt down to look over the edge. The drop was far down, and the details of the ground below were hard to make out, Yami could see the two hazed bodies of the dragons and the faint smudges of blood on the edge of the rocks. Yami felt his mouth drop open, wanting to call to his father, but the sickness of fear kept his voice back.

"F-Father!" Yami managed to call down, hearing his shaken voice echo down, but not hearing any response.

"Hey! He's over here!" The cart driver called, signalling to Kaiba "He didn't escape yet!"

Kaiba marched over to the driver, but when seeing Yami kneeling by the edge, he changed his course to the teen. Kaiba stood by Yami's side, looking over the edge to see the two dragon bodies, and gave a small hum at the sight.

"For the best" Kaiba muttered, then reaching down, he grabbed Yami's arm "Come on!"

"No!" Yami shoved Kaiba off him, causing him to fall over, and gave Yami the opportunity to start climbing down.

Kaiba pushed himself up, and attempted to grab Yami before he disappeared, but Yami had scaled down the cliff edge that Kaiba could not reach him. He gave a growl as he watched Yami go lower, before he turned to the driver, and grabbed his shirt.

"What's the fastest way down there?" He demanded, then forced the man to show him the path.

Yami continued down the cliff, making sure to grab each stable rock, and to carefully lower his body further down. Soon, he neared the ground, and jumped off the rocks to land on his feet. He ignored the broken pieces of the aggressive dragon, and ran over to the limp body of his father, and looked over his wound.

His side was split open, no doubt caused by the combination of the fight, and the several sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff. Blood poured out from the laceration, drenching the grass with the colour red, and filling the air with a strong pungent scent of blood. Yami felt his body quake more of the severity of the damage, then fell down to his knees, crawling over to his father's head.

"F-Father! Father! P-Please wake up!" Yami pleaded, shaking his head a little to catch his attention "FATHER!"

The dragon gave a weak and pitiful groan, but opened his eyes to stare at Yami. The male gave a small smile, letting a few fear created tears roll down his face.

"Y-You're alive! Thank goodness!" Yami wiped his eyes briefly, glancing over to the wound, then back to his father "D-Don't worry, I-I'll clean it up. You'll be fine in no time, a-and we can leave together! A-Alright?"

His father gave another tired groan as an answer, staring at Yami deeply until his eyes began to close, submitting to his own pain and giving one final breath.

Yami sat still for a moment, waiting for his father to make some other response, and to show him that everything was alright. But, there was nothing. Shaky fingers reached out to brush over his scales, then it held his face, and he attempted to shake his father awake once more.

"F-Father? D-Dad?" Yami felt a fresh batch of tears run down his face, and shook his father more vigorously "D-Dad! P-Please wake up! Please! Y-You were just then! Wake up! Wake up! DAD!"

The response was met with silence, bringing truth to Yami's fears, as he began to sob over the corpse of his father. He tried calling to him a few times, but his words became slurred and incoherent as he succumbed to his tears, and ended up wailing and pressing his teary face into his father's neck.

The driver led Kaiba to the quickest path down the mountain, guiding him past the cliff face, and to the spot where the dragons had fallen. However, at the sight and smell of the two dragon corpses, the driver cringed and covered his mouth at the repulsive smell.

"Urgh! This is…!" He lightly retched, and turned away from the scene to ease himself.

Kaiba watched the man scurry away, before turning back to the mess, and spotting Yami sobbing over his father's body. He gave a frown, and marched towards him, before looking over the damaged dragon. The deep cut in its side showed Kaiba that there was little chance of survival, and that his only priority was to recapture Yami.

Kaiba grabbed the back of Yami's clothes, pulling him away from the corpse "Come on".

"No!" Yami wailed, struggling to get out of Kaiba's grip.

"Enough!" Kaiba forced his arm around Yami's neck, choking the male slightly as he still attempted to force his way out "You're my prisoner, and you'll do what I say!"

Kaiba forced Yami away, despite his attempts to break free and return to his father. But no matter how much Yami called to his father, he would not wake up, forcing the tears to stream further down his face.

* * *

><p>Once returning to their spot they had abandoned on the path, Kaiba bound Yami's hands again, making sure they were firmly together and could not break free. Kaiba glanced up at Yami, expecting to hear him crying still, but he had fallen silent with only a few teardrops rolling down his cheeks.<p>

"You expect us to keep going?" The driver queried, placing his hands on his hips "Do you know how long it'll take all three of us to walk there? And him! He could easily escape if we walk there! And what if another dragon decides to attack?! What will we do then?!"

"Shut your mouth" Kaiba growled, turning to the man "Your job was to take us to the camp, and that is what you will do, cart or no cart, is that clear?" The man gave a sigh, but turned on the spot to walk away, muttering to himself. Once the man had walked a few steps ahead of them, Kaiba turned to Yami, grabbing hold of his wrists again "And you…I don't think you have the will to escape, do you?"

Yami gave no reply, keeping his head low, as he allowed his body to be swallowed with grief and numbness. Kaiba gave a sigh, but shoved Yami into a walking pace, and followed the male down the path as he was led to his death.

*******************************End of chapter 11*****************************

God I'm so evil.

But, what has been done has been done. And I'm sure I'll put something nice in…surely…

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	12. Breaking

I will blow your minds to pieces.

That's right! Another shipping!

* * *

><p>Chapter 12-Breaking<p>

The walk took several hours for the people to travel, silent and uneventful, apart from the cart drivers' words of complaints. Kaiba glanced at Yami behind him now and then to make sure he was keeping up, but with his detached and unnerving cooperative state, Kaiba knew Yami had no intention of running away from them.

It soon became evening before a settlement appeared, earning some positive words from the cart driver, as he hurried towards it. Small tents were pitched up, along with what looked like crude but effective prison cells, and several execution equipment laid bloody in the free space. It was quite apparent as they entered the camp, that there was no escape, and that all the prisoners trapped within were to accept their deaths.

As they walked through the entrance, a few guards noticed the approaching visitors, and stood to attention when they reached closer.

"What's this about?" One of them asked.

"I caught this traitor here" Kaiba explained, tugging Yami closer so the men would see "Thought you might like a new present".

"And what about him?" The other asked, pointing to the driver.

"I'm the one who brought them here" The man snapped back.

"Oh right…my apologies…" The guards then took hold of Yami's binds, forcing him to follow behind them instead "Right, this way".

Yami was pulled through the camp, leaving Kaiba to deal with the impatient driver, and passed all of the execution equipment. They forced Yami into one of the free cages they had, and locked the door behind him, leaving him to adjust to his brief home. There was a faint sound of sobbing and wailing from one of the other prisoners, a nauseating stench of dried blood and flesh lingered around the cages, and what appeared to be someone's teeth laid abandoned on the cage floor. The standards were less than satisfactory, then again, Yami was not expecting the greatest of care from people who wished to murder him.

Yami forced his body to move to the furthest corner of his pen, allowing his aching feet to collapse under his weight, and rested his body against the wall. With his mind filled with the thoughts of his deceased father, death was but a welcoming gift to the grieving male.

Since they had arrived late into the evening, Yami's execution was put off until the next day, when the guards felt more refreshed and ready to do it. He had overheard one of the guards joking say it was to let him 'break' over it, but Yami felt that he had already been broken, and was beyond repairing.

Yami had tried sleeping through the night for what good it would do to him, but with the overwhelming stench and the painful thoughts of his loss, Yami kept drifting in and out of a light sleep. After having an inconsistent pattern of sleep throughout the night, Yami decided to stay awake, and judging by how early in the morning it was he guessed he only had a few hours to live anyway. Yami rested his head against the wall of his cage, his eyes closed lightly, as he listened to the eerie silence of the early morning. Not even the other prisoners made any noise, most likely already given in to their fate, knowing that no amount of wailing will set them free.

"_Daddy, I give up. Will you tell me?"_

"_Hm? Tell you what Yami?"_

"_Tell me how I'm special, you said I was special and I'd find out, can you tell me?"_

"_Alright, hop onto your old man's lap then, I'll tell you"._

"_Yay! So, what is it?"_

"_Are you ready? You sure? Okay…the way you are special…is because you're Yami"._

"_Huh? That's it?"_

"_Ha, I didn't expect you to understand, being so young and all. But hear me out. Why do you think everyone has a name to be called by? Because it's what makes them each unique and special. Though we are all of the same kind, we are varied by what we are called. When you get older, and meet new people, they won't remember you because you are another person, but they'll remember you because they'll remember your name. They'll remember that Yami is a good, kind person, and that they had a lot of fun with him. That is what makes you special Yami, is because you have your name to hold proudly for everyone to see, and in time you'll be remembered by the people you meet. And I know that Yami is a brave, strong, and caring young man already. And I know that wherever the name Yami goes, you'll be making the right choices, and looking out for everyone. So never forget that Yami, you are special, because you make yourself special"._

Yami felt tears run down his cheeks at his father's memory, but opened his eyes, and looked around the camp. It was empty, and unguarded, most likely due to the fact they did not believe anyone would escape. It made the perfect opportunity for an escape, no one would be prepared, giving a chance to break out and run far from the camp.

Yami gave a sigh, clasping his bound hands together, so that he could start a fire building within his hands and in turn heat his hands. It took a while, but the binds around his wrists soon started to sizzle against the heat, until it snapped in half and freed his hands. With the freedom to move his hands, he stood himself up from his spot, and let the raging fire in his hands hit the back of his cage. As he expected the weak and crude prison caught fire easily, and spread from one side to the other, creating a large hole to escape through. Yami watched as the fire spread from his cage, to the ones adjacent to his, and the ones next. The prisoners who were in the cages next to him were startled awake, terrified by the start of the fire, but hopeful when they saw their own escape routes being burned out. The others would be fine, but Yami needed to escape.

As Yami ducked through the burnt hole, he could hear some of the guards being alerted to the fire, and calling for the others to help out. Yami made a dash for it, not wanting to waste time and wait for the guards to catch up with him, so ran into the nearby forest. Yami could feel his body strain under the stressful situation, but kept his body running, knowing he could not stop for any reason. He could hear the distant yells of the men, and what sounded like the barking of dogs, they were not wasting their time collecting their prisoners back.

After a while, Yami's body begged to stop, and so it did. Yami hid himself behind a tree, and caught his breath back quickly, as he tried to think straight and figure out what to do. He listened closely, and underneath the threatening noises of the guards and dogs, Yami could hear the sound of moving water. No doubt it was a river, and if they were attempting to track him down, going through water was his best chance.

As Yami was about to take a run towards the water, a pair of hands grabbed his arms, and he was forced roughly back to the tree. Yami looked up at Kaiba, seeing the taller male glare down at him, and kept a firm grip on his arms.

"K-Kaiba…let me go, please" Yami begged.

"Why should I?" Kaiba backfired "I've worked too hard and long to get you here, I'm not going to let you go this easily".

"Please Kaiba…you have to…"

Kaiba glared down at Yami, locking their gaze tightly, while the sounds of the guards grew closer. After a few moments of glaring into Yami's eyes, Kaiba let go of Yami, and took a couple of steps back from him. Yami stayed still against the tree, unsure of what Kaiba was going to do next, until he turned away from Yami.

"You have about five seconds to get the hell away from me" Kaiba growled.

Yami did not delay in his order, and took off into a run yet again, leaving Kaiba behind to deal with the guards if they found him. Yami ran as fast as he could, soon coming to a slope to the ground, and skidded down it. At the bottom of the slope was the river, rushing by the forest and carving its current through the land, and leading Yami to his escape. Yami made a jump to the river, feeling the water wrap around his legs, and began to walk with the current away from the camp.

* * *

><p>Yami had continued wading through the river, never stopping or looking back to see if anyone was following him, even when the voices of the other men had disappeared. The current tried to trip him over with its strong push, but he managed to stand defiant against it, and proceed slowly down the river. He had no idea where it was going to take him, home he hoped, but if it was far away from the camp he was more than happy to follow it.<p>

After a while, however, Yami began to feel the strain on his body. He was tired of forcing himself to go with the water, and desired to stop for a while, but the thought of being caught again kept him walking through the water.

A small roar bubbled from the water, making Yami stop and look behind him, before giving a small yelp as he was lifted from the river itself. Grabbing onto the spiral horns, Yami watched as the clear body of the dragon raised up from the river, large droplets rolling over its sleek body as it stood in its place. Yami took a few breathless minutes to calm himself down, before leaning to the side, so he could stare at the murky blue eyes of the dragon.

"Do…will you help me?" Yami asked, earning a deep hum from the dragon, feeling it reverberate through its see-through neck "Can you take me home? Is it far from here?"

The dragon gave another hum, before raising itself higher, making Yami grab tighter to the horns in fear that he might fall. The dragon lifted its long body higher and higher into the air, going beyond the tops of the trees surrounding them, before stopping as a small chilling breeze hit them both. Yami waited until the dragon had stopped, before looking around the scenery, searching for any civilisation. The horizon stretched into the distance from the height they stood, though it was covered with fields and forests mostly, Yami could make out the faint shape of what looked like buildings.

"A village…?" Yami whispered, before turning to the dragon "Is that a dragon village? Can you take me to it?"

The dragon ducked its head, before allowing its body to fall back into river, creating a large crash as its body sunk into the clear water. It then took off with great speed, surfing through the river water, with Yami holding tightly to the dragons' horns. The two travelled further down the river, though Yami was unsure whether or not it was wise to go to a new location, but he argued that anywhere had to be better than the camp.

After a while of speeding down the river, familiar voices caught Yami's hearing, making him turn to the edge of the river they were passing quickly. The voices grew distant the more they carried on, making Yami turn back to the dragon he was riding.

"Stop!" Yami pleaded, once hearing his request, the dragon came to a halt in the river. Yami jumped off its back, and into the river, before clambering back onto the river bank. Yami briefly listened to the disappearing voices, before turning back to the clear dragon, and giving it a small bow "Thank you very much for the assistance. But I'll make it on my own".

The dragon gave a small bow back, before plunging itself into the water, so it was hidden and continued its journey on its own. Yami turned to the path, and began to run along its edge, hoping he could catch up with his familiar friends. As Yami ran along the edge of the road, the voices steadily grew closer, and Yami could see the two walking down the path.

Yugi gave a sigh, stopping on the path, and falling to his knees "I'm so exhausted…this is taking forever. Can we stop?"

Joey turned to Yugi "Do you think the hunters are going to wait for you to take a rest?"

Yugi shook his head "No, of course not. But, I don't know if I can walk any further…maybe you should go on ahead, I'll catch up".

"Yeah, and it'll look real good if you get caught by bandits or something. Suck it up and be a man".

Yugi gave a groan, but forced himself back onto his feet, taking a few steps to follow Joey "Yugi! Joey!"

The pair stopped and turned around, spotting Yami running out of the wilderness, and towards the two. At the sight of his lost lover, Yugi turned to run at him, meeting him half way in a tight hug. Yami pulled Yugi to his chest, wrapping his arms firmly around him, as he buried his face into Yugi's hair. He knew that Yugi was, no doubt, struggling to keep standing against his weight. But he needed to hold Yugi close, to make sure that what he saw in front of him was real.

"Oh Yami I was so worried about you!" Yugi cried, pressing his face into Yami's chest "I heard they had caught…a-and then Joey came…I'm so glad you're okay!"

"Where the hell have you been?" Joey demanded.

"I…I…" Yami gave a hiccup as tears rolled down his face, before giving a wail, and crying openly into Yugi's hair.

"Y-Yami? Wh-What's wrong?" Yugi asked, rubbing Yami's back to attempt to soothe him.

* * *

><p>After calming down from his outburst, Yami managed to tell Yugi and Joey what had happened, without breaking down into tears again. Once they had realised Yami's loss, the two became solemn and sympathetic, suggesting that they should return home as quickly as they could. But before they could make enough progress back to the city, the sun had already begun to set, and they were left to sleep through the night in the wilderness.<p>

They made a small camp by the side of the road, out of the way of any passing bandits, but not so far that they would be completely lost in the morning. Joey had gathered wood that he could find lying around, while Yami set up a small fire, and Yugi ventured a little to see if he could find any food. Joey and Yami sat at the fire, keeping silent between the two, and causing a tense air to hang around them.

"Yami…" Joey began, rubbing the back of his neck "I'm…sorry about your dad" Joey apologized, then sighing and hanging his head "Hell, I'm sorry for hitting you too. I'm sorry for a lot of the shit that's happened".

"I'm sorry too" Yami apologised back "I didn't mean to lash out at you…I hope…we can still be friends?"

"Yeah…yeah we can".

Yugi came walking back, sighing heavily, before falling to his knees again between the two "I couldn't find anything" He explained, hugging his middle tightly.

"Well…we'll just have to go hungry tonight" Joey shrugged his shoulders, looking around the scenery "Hope it's not a cold night".

"We'll just have to sleep close together if that happens" Yami suggested "It won't be too bad".

"Let's hope so. And let's hope we don't get caught by hunters".

As the night drew out, and the fire slowly dying—not to mention their impatiently growling stomachs—the group decided that sleeping was the best, and only option they had. As soon as the light disappeared into the darkness, Yami laid down with Yugi, letting the smaller male get comfortable within his arms. Joey laid down on Yami's other side, though turned his back on the two, no doubt to give them any small privacy they could get. Though the pains in their stomachs grew stronger as the night went on, all three managed to fall asleep, no doubt from the stress the day had brought them.

During the night, Yami stirred awake when he heard snorting, and opened his eyes weakly to see what was around them. Lifting his head, Yami looked around him, before sitting up. Standing in front of him was a dragon, a faint glow emanating from its cold looking body, as it stared down at the small group. However, when it noticed that Yami was awake, it turned its attention to Yami. Though Yami had never seen a dragon like it before, he knew that it was a light dragon; something he thought was never going to happen.

Yami turned to Joey, and shook his shoulder to wake him up "Joey! Joey wake up!"

Joey only gave a groan, and continued to sleep, ignoring Yami's voice. Yami then turned to Yugi, shaking his shoulders "Yugi, wake up!"

"Mmm…" Was all that came from Yugi, as he continued sleeping in peace.

With the two unable to wake up, Yami faced the dragon alone, rising to his feet so he could stand at a taller height. Once Yami had stood up, the dragon bowed its head, and lowered itself to the ground. Confused, Yami approached the dragon, and gave a small shiver when he felt a cold air come off from the dragon.

"Do…you want to take me somewhere?" Yami asked curiously.

The dragon gave a slow nod, before folding its wings close to its body, allowing Yami to reach its body easily. It seemed the dragon could not talk, so he would not find out where he would be going, if he took the invitation offered to him. He walked closer to the dragon, before hoisting himself onto its back, sitting at the crook of its neck. Once Yami was settled, the dragon rose up from the ground, and began to take off into flight. Yami gave one last glance to the sleeping bodies of his friend, as he flew higher and higher into the sky, until they disappeared into the darkness of the night.

The higher they went, the more the air turned bitterly cold, and the harder it became for Yami's body to struggle with the pressure. His chest tightened to a painful degree, while his body shook from the coldness of the wind, telling him that where he was going was not meant for any human to find. The dragon flew towards the tall mountain range, which only added to the chill, and landed on a cliff ledge. Though Yami was apprehensive about the stability of the cliff, he hopped off from the dragon's back, and looked around his surroundings.

A thick white mist hung around the middle of the mountain, making it impossible to see below it, and with it being the middle of the night Yami could not see too far ahead of him either. He was trapped on the ledge, with his feet and body cringing at the sight of the thick snow layer, adding to his decreasing temperature level. Despite the unbearable conditions, tucked in the middle of a large snow clump, was an opening. It appeared to lead into a cave, which had a small glowing light growing from inside, and was no doubt where Yami had to venture to.

He cautiously approached, half expecting the snow to collapse on top of him, but more curious as to where the cave led him. The dragon followed shortly behind him, and once Yami was satisfied with its safety, the two walked inside the cave. The light came from the far end of the cave, where a man dressed in thick clothes, sat huddled over a cheaply wooden desk. Books laid on either side of him, and were scattered among the rough floor, along with several bags and a lantern. It seemed he had been living in the mountain for a while, though as to why and how were not clear, it mattered little to Yami at the moment.

Shivering still, Yami approached the front of the desk, and watched the man for a few moments "Excuse me…?" Yami spoke quietly, through frozen teeth.

At the sound of his voice, the man looked up, and smiled warmly at Yami "Ah! Finally arrived have you? Good, good, I've been waiting a while you know".

"I-I'm sorry…I-I don't know who you are…" Yami explained, having to rub his arms lightly "Or…how we have met…"

"Ah, all in time my boy. Just, let me finish this" The man returned to the book open in front of him, dipping his pen into the ink, and continued writing.

Yami stood patiently, waiting for the man to finish off his work, and focused on trying to keep some warmth to his body. The man did not notice Yami's cold chill, and continued his work, no doubt ignoring the cold to his own body as well. Once he was finished, he gave a sigh, and rested his pen next to the ink while he shut the book.

"Well, that's finally done" The man lifted his head up to Yami, and smiled at him again "So, your name is Yami, correct?"

"Y-Yes…" Yami answered, hearing the chatter in his own words "A-And you are…?"

"Ah, pardon my rude invite. My name is Kazuo" He introduced.

"K-Kazuo?" Yami then stared at the man, his body falling still when he realised where he had heard the name before "Ka…"

"My, you look a little cold" The man turned to the dragon, giving it a gentle nod "Akio, do you think you could close the door? It'll keep the cold out".

The dragon turned to the entrance of the cave, walking to one side of the cave, and slamming it with its tail. The cave gave a small shudder and groan, before the snow began to fall over the entrance, and blocked out the dark night that surrounded them. The snow layer was thick, and Yami knew it was impossible for him dig his way out, he was trapped inside.

Once the dragon had settled by Kazuo's side peacefully, he turned the young male "Well, now that that's sorted, we have much to discuss" He then gestured to the spare seat at the side of his desk "Please, sit".

With little else to do in the cave, Yami sat himself down in the spare seat, and allowed Kazuo to explain his motives. The cold temperature soon turned Yami's body numb, forcing him to keep still lest he cause pain, while he tried to keep a sane conversation with the man.

********************************End of chapter 12****************************

Did I just add something no one will get?

Did I just kill Yami off?

All these questions, and more, shall not be answered!

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	13. Reunited

Oh no!

Thirteen!

* * *

><p>Chapter 13-Reunited<p>

When the morning came around, Joey was the first to wake, disturbed by the usual bird songs of the forest. With a yawn, Joey sat himself up, and stretched his arms in the air. Relaxed and refreshed, Joey turned to the other two, and gave a smile at their close embrace. Yami had his arms wrapped tightly around Yugi, bringing the smaller male into his body, who had curled up within Yami's hold. They were peaceful, undisturbed by the morning world, and were happy to be within each other's hold. Joey shook his head lightly, before standing up and stretching some more, deciding to leave the two to sleep some more. However, Joey's movements had disturbed Yami, waking him up from his slumber.

Closing and reopening his eyes a few more times, Yami gave a startled gasp, and sat himself up as well. With the lack of snow, and the missing presence of the dragon and man, Yami was confused about the events of last night.

"Hey" Yami looked up at Joey, seeing the blond tilt his head "You okay? You look like you've had a bad dream or something".

"N-No I…" Yami looked down at Yugi, who had readjusted himself when Yami took his arms away. Yami debated about explaining the phenomena to Joey, but when he found himself unable to explain it, Yami simply shook his head "Bad sleep…I suppose…"

"I'm not surprised. You've had a rough time" Joey said, giving a sigh "How about we get you home?"

"Yeah…no" Yami pushed himself up, lightly brushing his clothes "There's a dragon village, not too far from here. I think we can make it within the day".

"Shit, a real village?" Joey queried, getting a nod from Yami. Joey gave a grin of excitement, however, when looking to Yugi he lost it immediately "But…what about him?"

Yami looked down at Yugi as well "What about him?"

"You can't take him into a dragon village. They won't let you near it".

"If this is about your mother-"

"No, this is just general sense" Joey interrupted "Trust me, they'll take one look at Yugi, and off him. Mark my words".

"I've had experiences with villages before, trust me, I know what I'm doing".

Joey gave a sigh as Yami bent down, attempting to wake Yugi up, and continue their travel for the day. Joey walked towards the path, making sure that it was clear, before muttering to himself "I have a bad feeling about this".

* * *

><p>After waking Yugi up, the group began to move again, though the direction changed towards the dragon village. Yugi did not ask questions, letting the other two lead the way, and occasionally listening in when Joey questioned Yami. Leaving the usual path back to town, the group took a desolate path through the forest, supposedly towards the village—though it could never be seen from their perspective. After hours upon hours of walking, the three were beginning to slow down, feeling their bodies tremble to the effects of long trekking.<p>

Yugi began to slow down, turning back to the path behind them, and listening closely "Hey…can anyone else here that?"

Joey and Yami stopped, looking towards Yugi, before listening closely. In the distance was a faint sound of rumbling, much like the approaching sound of thunder, but glancing up at the sky there were a lack of dark clouds. The source of the sound became a quick mystery.

"It sounds like a storm" Yugi whispered, looking up to the sky yet again "But…I didn't see any clouds…"

"So…what is it…?" Joey queried.

Yami gave a hum, before placing his hands on Yugi's shoulders, and moving him to the side of the path "Stand back".

"Eh? What for?" Yugi asked, but did as his lover told him to do.

As Joey jumped back a few steps in the other direction, the rumbling sound grew, and everyone waited in anticipation. When the sound reached nearer, Yugi gave a cringe and placed his hands over his ears, preparing for almost anything to jump out at them.

In a flash, the ground came alive with a surge of electricity, making their hairs stand up straight. A long yellow lizard ran past them, and with its incredible speed, it had disappeared within seconds taking the sound with it. After a few seconds of collecting himself, Yugi took his hands away, and leant to look down the path it had raced down.

"What was that?" Yugi asked.

"A sign" Joey replied, giving a grin to Yami.

"Yeah" Yami turned to Joey, giving a grin back "We're close now".

"Race you there!" Joey enticed, running ahead of the other two.

At the challenge, Yami ran on ahead as well, catching up with the blond as they progressed down the path. Yugi gave a breathless sigh, but began running as well, hoping to catch up with his friends.

"Hey, wait for me!" Yugi called after them.

As they ran further down the path, small fields of crops and old houses started to appear, breaking up the forest and turning into a village. As the group ran past, a few of the workers lifted their heads, but did little to stop the teens. Stopping at the edge of the village, they looked around at the working and busy village, even catching a few of the inhabitants attention.

"This is real right?" Joey asked excitedly "Like, we're not dreaming or some shit, right?"

"This is as real as it comes Joey" Yami reassured, though turned his head when he heard laughter, and spotted a group of teenagers "Hey, I know those guys. Hey!"

The group raised their head at Yami's voice, seeing the male jog over to them, they stood up and met Yami halfway. Yami became swarmed within the group of teenagers, allowing them to tug and hug his body, while they expressed their relief that he was safe. A few even ran into the village, yelling at the top of their voices "Yami's back!", to let everyone know what the commotion was about. After Yami was free to move about, he gave a brief explanation about what had happened to him, and introduced Joey and Yugi to them. Joey seemed more eager to let himself feel at home with the others than Yugi, though with him being only human, it was only natural.

"Yami?"

Yami turned around, seeing a young woman stand a few feet back, tears running down her face. At the sight of her, Yami began to cry as well, but gave an ecstatic smile at her appearance.

"Mum!" Yami ran towards his mother, only stopping in front of her to wrap his arms around her, and place his face into her shoulder.

"Oh Yami!" His mother hugged him back just as tightly, letting her fingers run through his hair "I was so worried about you! I didn't know where you had gone!"

"Me too! I'm sorry I was gone so long!"

"It's okay" His mother gave a shaky gasp, holding Yami's face, and placing her forehead against his "I'm just so happy you're alright. Your father said you were in trouble, and left and I…" His mother trailed off, lifting her head, and looking around some more "Where is your father Yami?"

Yami glanced down to the ground, gently holding his mother's arms "Mum…"

* * *

><p>After explaining to his mother what had happened, the two left, and stood by the edge of the river. Picking one of the flowers on its bank, Yami's mother said a few words, before tossing it into the water. As the flower slowly sunk under the water, Yami held his mother close, allowing her to weep quietly over her son. Standing back, Yugi and Joey watched from a safe distance, letting Yami and his mother have the privacy they needed.<p>

Yugi gave a sigh, holding his arms "Poor Yami…" Yugi whispered.

"Yeah, and it's gonna get a whole lot worse for him" Joey said, leaning against the side of a house.

Yugi turned to Joey, giving a curious glance to the blond "How so?"

"Well…" Joey gave a heavy sigh, looking down to the ground "It's hard to explain. But, when you lose a dragon parent, you lose something inside yourself. It's like someone just rips out a huge hole from your body. I know saying this doesn't seem like much difference than your usual loss, but, I can't explain any other way".

Yugi gave a nod, turning back to watch Yami and his parent "It's fine…I know".

"Joey!"

Joey turned around as the woman ran over to him, giving a smile, Joey was about to run towards her to greet her embrace. However, the woman had reached him already, and knocked him over to the ground with a loud thud. The sound of the commotion caught even Yami and his mother's attention, watching Joey be grasped by his mother, and enjoy the attention she gave to her son. At the sight of it, Yami managed to give a small chuckle, and hug his mother one last time to comfort her.

"Look at you, my big, big, big, big boy!" Joey's mother said, ruffling his hair rather hard, but Joey did not seem to mind anyway "You come all the way out here to see your mum! Gracious!"

"I see you're feeling better!" Joey retorted, breaking his head from his mother's hold "Anyway, I didn't come here just to see you, I came to help Yami, and stopped on the way".

"Eh?" His mother let go of him, turning away, and crossing her arms over "The nerve! Didn't even think of your poor mum eh?"

"What?! I didn't know you were here!" Joey defended, giving a pout "How was I supposed to know where you had gone to?"

His mother gave a chuckle, but turned back to Joey, and pulled him into another hug "Alright, I'll forgive you this once then!" She teased with a grin.

"You're so crazy mum" Joey muttered, but looking back at Yami, he gave a thumbs up to his friend "Hey mum, show me around will you? I haven't seen this place at all".

"Ah, alright" His mother let him go, letting the two get up from the ground, before putting her arm around his shoulders "Is that boy talk for 'show me all the cute girls'?"

"Wh-What? No!" Joey spat, a pink colour coming to his face "I just want to look around is all".

"Mmhmm, sure Joey" His mother teased, but walked with him nonetheless.

Yugi watched the pair walk away, before turning back to Yami when he approached, followed closely by his mother.

"Mum, this is Yugi" Yami introduced "Yugi looked after me while I was gone, and gave me a place to stay".

"Really?" Yami's mother then bowed "Thank you very much".

"I-It's really nothing" Yugi assured, bowing back out of respect.

"I'm going to show Yugi around" Yami explained, taking hold of Yugi's arm "Will you be alright mum?"

"Yes, of course, I'll be fine".

"Alright. Let's go, Yugi".

Yami pulled Yugi away, and once far away enough, Yugi relaxed enough to be with Yami. The two walked in silence, Yami only saying a simple 'hello' when he passed someone he knew, but remained silent regardless.

"Your…mum is really nice" Yugi complimented, looking down a little "And young too…I-I wasn't expecting her to be young…"

"Yeah, mum's the best" Yami said, moving his hand down to Yugi's hand "You must feel out of place here, right?"

"Heh…just a little" Yugi admitted, looking up as they past more people "I mean…these are your people, right? I don't know how they'd feel about me".

"It's okay. If they wanted to hurt you, they would've done so by now" Yami reassured, before stopping, and turning to Yugi "But, if you want to go home, I'll take you back there, alright?"

Yugi gave a light smile at the offer, turning away "N-No…it's okay…not…like there's anywhere to welcome me anyway…"

"Okay, if you're sure" Yami looked over his shoulder, before tugging on his hand "Do you want to stay with us for the night? I'm sure mum will like the company".

"Yeah…okay. Sounds good" Yugi gave a smile, following Yami when they began walking again "I just hope I won't be too much trouble".

"No, you won't Yugi" Yami reassured.

* * *

><p>After exploring around the village, and meeting up with some more people Yami knew, the two decided to return home to help Yami's mother out. As the evening rolled in, Yami helped his mother prepare the meal, leaving Yugi to feel—once again—rather useless at his new home. But once the meal had been served, and Yami began telling his mother about where he had been, forcing Yugi to fill in some of the wholes.<p>

"It seems like you've been on quite the ride Yami" His mother said, giving a small smile "I'm glad you're back home though".

"Me too. Never want to have a repeat" Yami said, eating some more food, before turning to his mother "By the way, did the masters make it out?"

"Yes. They're staying in this village" His mother tilted her head "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering if I could talk to them tomorrow" Yami shrugged his shoulders "That's all".

"It must be serious" Yami only nodded his head, keeping it a secret from his mother.

"What's 'the masters'?" Yugi asked.

"They're…like elders" Yami explained "They keep the order around a village and such".

"Oh…right…" Hearing that there was a higher authority in the village, Yugi kept quiet, in case he did something wrong.

However, after an eventful reunion, and an equally eventful time, Yami was more than happy to sleep early that night. And not wanting to be left alone, Yugi followed his lead too. The two got to share a bedroom together, and once making the beds, they laid down and let the night take them to sleep.

"It…sounds like you have something serious to talk about…" Yugi murmured, unsure if Yami had already fallen asleep.

"Mm…I hope so" Yami whispered back, resting his head in his hands.

"Is…it about me?"

"No. Well…I don't know…maybe…"

"Oh…" With silence between them, Yugi listened to the insects outside creating noise, giving an eerie voice to the silence. Yugi turned to Yami, quickly sliding over to his bed, and resting against his chest "I feel more comfortable with you…"

Yami gave a small smile, letting one arm go around Yugi, and pulled him closer into the embrace "Thank you…for being here".

"Anytime" Yugi said, closing his eyes, and giving them both a chance to sleep in peace.

*******************************End of chapter 13*****************************

I was just teasing, teehee.

So, back in a village with dragons, this should turn out well.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	14. Giving a chance

So I may have overreacted with the whole 'chapter thirteen' thing.

So, I assure you, nothing bad will happen now :)

* * *

><p>Chapter 14-Giving a chance<p>

Once the morning had risen, Yami's mother cooked the two boys' breakfast, before showing Yami where the masters were staying. Yami and Yugi followed his mother to an old building, the roof and doors looked tattered from age, and small wind chimes danced on the edge of the supports. It seemed an undesirable location for a group so high ranking, but Yami decided that it was best not to voice his opinion, and approached the door. Yugi kept up with Yami, gripping his back like a small child, while his worried eyes looked over the small neat garden.

As Yami reached the front door, he opened the sliding door, looking in to the darkened corridors in front of them "Hello?" Yami called out.

"Coming!" A voice replied, hearing distant footsteps approach.

From the darkness, a door slid open, and a person approached them. It was a young woman, dressed in a plain and bland kimono, and gave a small bow to the two.

"Good morning" The woman greeted politely "How can I help you?"

"Good morning. I'd like to speak with the masters today, it's very important".

"I see. Well, follow me then".

"Thank you" As Yami stepped in, and took off his shoes, he turned back to Yugi who had remained outside "He also needs to come with".

"Of course".

At the quick invite, Yugi stepped into the building as well, quickly slipping out of his shoes as well. Once Yugi had followed lead, the girl began to show the two the way through the darkened building, making sure to keep a few paces ahead of the boys. Yugi kept close to Yami's back, his head turning to the few open doors, and looking out to the village around them. The girl stopped at a sliding door, pushing open the doors, and slipping inside. Yami and Yugi stayed outside the door, attempting to listen in on the silent conversation, but it was pointless.

After a few moments, the girl returned to the pair, leaving the door slightly ajar "The masters will see you now".

"Thank you" Yami gave a small bow to the girl, and waited for the girl to walk away, before turning to Yugi "Are you okay with this?"

Yugi gave a nod, but gripped tighter to the back of Yami's shirt "But…what do I say? Do?"

"Nothing, hopefully" Yami reassured, turning around so he could hold Yugi's hand "I just brought you along, in case you were needed, hopefully I'm wrong. If you do need to speak, just be honest and polite, and you should be fine, okay?"

Yugi gave a small nod, and followed Yami into the room, sucking in a deep breath of courage. Standing at the door, Yugi and Yami gave a bow to the masters, before they walked in and sat down in front of them. The masters consisted of five elderly—aside of one—men, all resting on their knees, and watching the two teenagers like hawks. Though they were aged and frail, there was a strange presence of strength to them, one that made the two teens obey to anything.

The eldest of the group, situated in the middle of the line, started speaking first "We heard of your arrival yesterday, settling in nicely?"

Yami glanced out of the door, hearing faint laughter from outside, and one voice easily recognised as Joey's. Yami gave a small smile, figuring Joey had made friends with the others of the village, and was glad his friend had the opportunity that he did. Yami turned back to the masters, and gave them a small nod as his answer.

"So, what was it you wished to speak with us, child?" The man on the far right asked.

"Well…I actually have orders, sirs".

Curious as to who would give them orders, the masters let Yami relay his message, listening to his entire story. Yami told them about the dragon that took him to the mountains, and the man he met on top of it, and the conversation they had. He told that the man had supposedly seen the future, giving Yami directions on what to do, and how to invite humans into the dragon village. At the sound of humans and dragons attempting to live in peace, the masters could not help but frown in confusion, even Yugi was a little bewildered by Yami's story. Still, Yami presented the story as honestly as he could, and knew that the truth would break through.

Once Yami had finished telling his story, the man second from the right gave a hum, and let his fingers stroke through his beard hair "Interesting" He mused, lifting his barely open eyes to Yami "You mean to say, Kazuo, man of bright legend, came to speak to you directly?"

"Yes sir" Yami answered.

"Could this not have been a dream?" The youngest of the group queried "You say this happened after the death of your father? Perhaps your thoughts and feelings were not in the right place".

At the reminder of his father, Yami's hand clenched his clothes, but pushed back any form of sadness to focus on the task at hand. He gave a shake of his head, determined not to change his verdict. The masters gave a hum, sharing looks amongst each other, rather hesitant to agree with Yami's point of view.

"But, you understand how it sounds right?" One of the elderly men asked "Kazuo, if he was alive, would be thousands of years old. Too old to survive in such harsh conditions".

"And to suggest that humans and our kind could live in peace again" Another spoke, shaking his head in disapproval "If he could see the outcome, surely he could see how the humans have treated us over the years, slaughtering us like cattle. Too much blood has been spilt, it's almost impossible to rekindle what we once had".

"But what about Yugi?" Yami asked, making the teen twitch at his name, and snap his back straight when he realised he had slouched "He's a human".

"That's…a different matter" They explained vaguely, weak eyes glazed over Yugi, before turning back to Yugi "He is one person. If he were to go against us, there is no threat to defeat him. However, opening our arms to the vast human race is not so easy, and could carry a great risk in our safety. We house women and children here; we cannot do something that could give them death".

"I know. I understand. But, I don't mean to let everyone in, just a king or someone that links with a king, that way they can learn what we're really like, and learn truth that way. Isn't that…a better way forward? To first gain king's trusts, and then their people?"

The eldest gave a deep rumble, his wrinkled fingers wrapping round the edges of his knees, as he stared down at the floor beneath them "I was once told to not trust a man who wields a knife at you" He spoke quietly, before looking back up "However, if you understand the motive, you understand the man. With the recent activity of the dark dragons, it becomes unsurprising why humans would lash out at our kind, we would do the same if it was the other way around".

The man to his left gave a nod, crossing his arms over his chest "That is true. However, convincing an entire nation that one isolated type of dragon is dangerous will be no easy feat, it would take much trust that we may not be able to deliver, along with ceasefire and forgiveness. Either side may not be able to present these necessities".

The eldest gave a nod "Still, we are not youthful as we used to be, and we won't have much time left to set a course of prosperity for the younger generation. If this boy is right, and he has spoken with the great Kazuo, then maybe it is in the best interest to at least try. Therefore, whether we succeed or fail, we will show the next future that we have tried to stitch the missing fragment in our story".

The furthest on the right nodded in agreement "We could invite the king, and a small party of his choice, and house them in the village for a few days. We could throw a feast; humans throw feasts to share peace with one another, don't they?"

The masters began to chat amongst themselves, making various ideas and playing around with suggestions, and generally agreeing with each other. Yugi and Yami sat patiently, watching them plan out for the humans' arrival, and waiting for a time to speak up again. When there was a brief moment of silence, Yami brought up the courage to speak to them once more.

"So…do you agree?" Yami asked curiously.

Aged eyes focused on him quickly, before looking to each other for confirmation, making certain that everyone's vote was in favour for Yami. With each nod from the men, the eldest finally turned back to Yami, pulling his thin lips into a weak smile.

"Yes" He answered.

"No".

All eyes turned to outside the house, where the group of familiar teens stood by the door, Joey taking the front of the group. Being caught up in their own conversation, they had not noticed the laughter and voices ceasing, and had crept closer to listen in on the meeting. Joey's expression was torn, distraught from what he had heard, and glared hatred towards Yami.

"Joey-"

Joey quickly kicked his shoes off, and stepped into the house, marching over to Yami. He loomed over Yami, pressing his glare onto Yami, and assuming an intimidating stance once more. Remembering the last time Joey gave him such a vicious look, Yami found himself cringing out of instincts, expecting Joey to throw a punch at him.

"I'm not letting you do this all over again!" Joey snarled at his friend "I just got here, with my mum, in a home I'm welcomed in! I'm not about to let you throw it to chance, and have us all killed, just because some guy told you to!"

"It's not your decision Joey!" Yami backfired.

"And it's not your decision either! But you're gonna become a murderer anyway!"

Yami then stood up, facing his friend with an equally hateful glare, though only fuelled Joey to retaliate back "I'm not a murderer! Don't you dare say otherwise! At least I'm trying to make amends, not just laze around in short-lived bliss!"

Joey then made a grab for Yami's shirt, jerking him forwards roughly "Why you-!"

"Enough! Both of you!" The youngest shouted, breaking up the argument, before it got out of hand "Have you no shame?! Fighting in front of the masters! Despicable! Cease this foolishness at once!"

At the reprimand, Joey let go of Yami, though kept his glare firmly on Yami. Once free, Yami pulled his shirt back into place, before turning to the masters to bow in apology. After the two friends had quelled their argument, the masters relaxed again, though frowns of concern were still kept on their faces.

"Still, even though we agree to the plan, there is no way to meet with the king to invite him to our home" One reasoned "Even if we say that we mean no harm, they will not take their chances, and capture us".

"We would ask your friend to pass on the message" Another spoke, hinting towards Yugi "But, seeing that he is on commoner level, I doubt very much that he'd be allowed to see the king".

The eldest gave a hum, before looking up at Yami once more "Do you know any more humans, who may have a chance in getting close to the king, or one of his council members?"

Yami stared back at them, trying to think of all the people he had met, and wondering if they could have connections with the king. As he thought, one name in particular came up, making him hum in thought with a smile.

* * *

><p>Sat in a lively bar, Kaiba gave a glare to the troubadour when he finished singing, and had earned an eruption of applause from the drunkards. After soaking up the praise, the troubadour had a quick drink, before filling the tavern with his singing once more. Disgruntled by the joyous noise, Kaiba turned round to face the bar once more, attempting to block out the noise of the other people.<p>

After a few moments of sitting in discomfort, Kaiba's eyes snapped to one of the nearest windows, turning his head to stare outside. It had become pitch black outside, making it impossible to see further outside, and making the tavern look even friendlier. Despite the ruckus behind him, Kaiba kept his gaze firmly on the window, waiting for any slight movement in the shadows.

"Hey" The abrupt voice made Kaiba turn his head, looking up at the barkeeper, who seemed to be less than happy about Kaiba's presence "Are you actually going to order something or what?"

Without answering the man's question, Kaiba glanced out the window once more, before rising from his seat. His hand searched around in his pocket, before producing a few gold coins in his palm, and placed them down on the counter.

"Enjoy yourself" Kaiba muttered, turning away from the bar, and leaving the tavern behind.

As Kaiba stepped outside, he gave a suspicious glance around the building, before continuing down the path back to the city. It was a lonely walk past the woods, deafly silent as well, when Kaiba had reached far enough away from the tavern. Kaiba kept his eyes forward as he walked, only briefly glancing them away from the track when he saw the city, sitting in the far distance. Before he reached too close to the city, Kaiba suddenly stopped in his tracks, and listened closely to the silence around him. He stood still and listened, and when he figured out what was amiss, he gave a sigh.

"What do you want?" He growled, turning around to face Yami, who stood a few feet away from him.

"To talk" Yami answered, looking over Kaiba once more, making sure that he did not possess any kind of weapon.

Kaiba's brow rose up, crossing his arms over his chest "You expect me to believe that?" Kaiba snapped back, though when watching Yami's unchanging expression, found himself gaining curiosity "About what?"

Yami gave a simple smile, but began explaining the invitation to Kaiba. Kaiba remained silent as Yami retold his story, pulling a few frowns at certain points, but let the teen tell his tale regardless. Once Yami had finished, Kaiba had closed his eyes, and shook his head to the idea.

"I can't believe this" He muttered, looking up to Yami "You expect me to believe all this bull?"

"What part don't you like?" Yami queried.

"All of it. The peace, the treaty, the reconcile, the hallucination-"

"It was real, Kaiba" Yami interjected.

"You expect me to be joyous over your kind's idea, tell my king about the little get-together you're throwing, and want us to hold hands in harmony? I don't know what you did up in that mountain, but it has certainly damaged your brain".

"It will work if you wouldn't brush it off so quickly" Yami scolded, placing his hands on his hips "What makes you think it's a bad idea?"

"Well gee, how about the numerous villages and towns that have been burnt to cinders because of your dragon relatives? Or how about the many charred corpses I have to deal with too? And not just adults, children of all ages too. Is that a good enough reason?"

"Well how do you think I feel when your soldiers storm our villages? Slaughtering innocent people just because they can't find the real culprits, and believe me I've seen them murder children too!"

"You've murdered more mankind than anything else I know of!" Kaiba snapped.

"You've done just the same to us! So we're both guilty of killing then!" Yami backfired.

The two stood glaring at each other for a few moments, before Kaiba turned his head away, and made a small 'tch' like noise.

"You want us to be friends? We can't even talk without turning it into an argument" Kaiba stated "How do you possibly see this working out?"

Yami paused briefly to reflect on his thoughts, before turning back to Kaiba "I don't…want any more deaths" Yami answered "On either side. I don't want this to be the way all of us will leave the world when we pass on, leaving fuel behind to keep a stupid war brewing. You know it's pointless, and I know it's pointless; I just…want it to stop. I would give anything if it meant everyone could put it behind them. Forget the blood that's been lost, start anew, and make a better future".

Kaiba stared at Yami for a few moments, before he gave a grunt, and turned to face away from Yami "When and where?"

Yami gave a perplexed stare, and looked up at Kaiba "Huh?"

"You want to invite us right? Well tell us where and when to go. I can't exactly convince the king without details, can I?"

"Well…no…but, I was hoping you'd get his consent first…just in case they'd betray us…I'll tell you afterwards though, so you can make preparations and such".

"Hmph. It'll make it less easy to convince him otherwise. And even if he did agree with it, how am I supposed to get in contact with you again?"

"I'll be here tomorrow night".

"And what if I can't see him by then?"

"Then I'll come back the next night. And the night after that, and the night after that. I'll keep on returning until I hear back from you, right at this spot, sounds good?"

"Frankly no. You are the greatest annoyance of my life, a bane to my existence".

Yami gave a small chuckle at the negative description, and began to take several steps backwards, and walking out onto the grass "Thanks Kaiba. And good luck too".

Kaiba gave a small grunt in response, determined to keep his sight away from Yami, until he heard a large thud to the ground. Looking to the fields, Kaiba watched as Yami ran over to a dragon, briefly conversing with it before hoisting himself up on the dragon. Once settled at the base of the neck, the dragon began to beat its wings, ready to take off into flight once more. Before the dragon lifted itself into the night sky, Yami gave a smile to Kaiba, watching him turn his head away stubbornly as the dragon flew through the sky. As they flew higher into the sky, Kaiba became a distant black figure on the landscape, before disappearing altogether. With the promise made, Yami could only wait patiently, and hope that all would go well.

* * *

><p>For several nights, Yami was taken back to the spot on the path, allowing him to wait for Kaiba to return. He sat himself on the edge of the road each time, looking both ways continuously, as he kept a watch for Kaiba. However, to his disappointment, Kaiba did not return as quickly as he had hoped. Night after night, Yami's passion to keep returning to the spot diminished slowly, but his duty and believe kept him going regardless.<p>

Having sat by himself for a few hours, Yami gave a long yawn, before massaging his eyes with his fingers. The night had been long, and after repeating the process several times, it began to take its toll on him. He glanced up and down the road a few more times, but with no sign of Kaiba's arrival, Yami gave a sigh and rested his head in his hands. After a few moments had passed, a thud shuddered through the ground, and Yami lifted his head up to stare back at the dragon.

"It is late" The dragon spoke "We should return home now".

Yami gave a nod, and pushed himself on his feet, brushing off the loose dirt stuck on his clothes "Yeah, alright".

As Yami was about to climb up on the dragon, he could hear the sound of approaching feet, and looked up to the path. A figure approached from the night, making them cautious as to who it was, until it became clearer the closer it got. At the sight of Kaiba walking closer, Yami gave a smile, and jogged over to meet him halfway.

"So?"

"You should have picked someone to be your courier" Kaiba simply replied, crossing his arms over "It was very hard to convince someone when you shared their views on the subject".

"Did he not accept?" Yami asked worried.

"No, he did" Kaiba assured "He acquires the details, if you're more willing to give them to me this time".

"Well, do I have your word that you won't hurt us? Or bring weapons with you?"

Kaiba raised his brow at the specific requirement, but managed to utter out "You do".

Yami gave a small smile, but gave Kaiba the details he wanted to hear, so he could pass them on to the king. Once Yami had told him everything, Kaiba gave a small hum to show he had listened, and turned to begin walking away again.

"Wait, Kaiba" Kaiba stopped, looking over his shoulder at Yami "Will you be coming?"

"Don't know. It's not my choice to make".

"Right. Well, goodbye then, and thank you for everything".

Kaiba gave another hum, briefly watching Yami return to the dragon, before carrying on his way again. Yami sat himself on the dragon once again, giving it time to take off into flight, as he eagerly waited for the reactions of everyone back home.

*******************************End of chapter 14*****************************

This definitely doesn't spell trouble! I assure you!

Why won't you believe me?!

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	15. The first days

Humans and dragons living together for a few days.

It's gonna be like those weird ass shows like Big brother.

* * *

><p>Chapter 15-The first days<p>

Before the king could arrive, the village was busy making preparations, making sure that their time would prove to be successful. Yami and Yugi did their part to help, and though Joey was reluctant, helped out as well. Food, housing, and other festivities were planned for the upcoming days. Though everyone had slight concern in letting humans in, Yami was hopefully about the plans, and only hoped it went along as smoothly as he wished.

When the day arrived, a horse-drawn carriage approached the village entrance, surrounded by several guards. Just the sight of the humans sent many scurrying to their homes, letting the stronger men greet the arrivals, while everyone watched from the safety of their home. Yami and Yugi gently slid open the door to his house, peeking their heads through a small crack, and watched the scene play out.

As the carriage pulled up to the entrance, the guards moved round to stand in front of the horses, using their bodies as a protective shield for the carriage. At the strange formation, the men of the village gave a small frown, and lightly clasped the handle of their cheap swords.

"We presume you'll keep to your word" One man spoke "No weapons, no spies, no torture".

"The same goes for you dragonkind" One of the guards retorted, hinting to their swords.

When checking over that the guards were unarmed, they eased their hold on their swords, creating a more relaxed presence "You can leave the carriage here at the entrance, the accommodations are further in".

"You expect our king to walk?!" Another guard snapped.

"It's fine" A voice from inside the curtain covered carriage reassured. The door opened, and a man stepped out, standing by the side of his guards. Judging by the rich and extravagant clothes and jewels he wore, the men quickly assumed that he was the king "If they want the carriage here, then it should stay here" The king then rose his brow, looking around the empty village "Where are these…'masters' of yours?"

"The masters aren't as strong as most men are" One man explained, but when quickly looking back to his comrades, added "You can meet them after you unpack, if that is what you wish".

"Hm. Good".

As the king continued to converse with the group of men, Yugi and Yami kept still and silent at their watching spot, barely able to hear the conversation from their distance.

"This is the first time I've seen my king" Yugi admitted quietly, and chewed on his lip "I hope he won't be mad at me".

Yami only gave a hum, watching the discussion closely, making sure that everything went as planned "Hey, Kaiba's here".

At the name, Yami snapped away from the king, and looked amongst the guards. As Yugi had said, Kaiba was one of the few guards protecting the carriage, carrying his own heavy looking sack.

"So he did join" Yami mused "I wasn't sure if he would be here or not…"

"I'd imagine all of those guards are hunters" Yugi reasoned.

While they watched the meeting, Kaiba's head quickly turned to their direction, spotting them immediately. As soon as his eyes set on them, Yugi and Yami gave a small jump at the stare, unnerved by the sudden turn.

"I-It's like he knew we were here!" Yugi whimpered.

"Y-Yeah I know…"

As the king called his guards to attention, Kaiba turned his gaze back to his king, and followed the rest of the group into town. With the group disappearing into the town, Yami slid the door shut, and waited until they had settled in before venturing out.

* * *

><p>After a few hours of the king's arrival, the inhabitants of the village began to leave their homes, curious as to their human guests. Yami left his home as well, reassuring Yugi that he would be back soon, as he went to visit Kaiba. Looking around the building, Yami began to tread around its edges, peeking into each open door. He soon found Kaiba's room, with the male sat in the middle of it, taking out various items from the bag he carried.<p>

"Hey Kaiba" Kaiba looked over his shoulder at Yami, giving Yami a glare, before turning back to his belongings "Do you like your room?"

"It's mediocre" Kaiba grumbled, as he got up to find spots for his belongings to stay.

Yami gave a small frown at the male "Can't you say anything nice?" Yami retorted.

"No. What did you want?"

Yami quickly slipped off his shoes, so that he could walk into the house, and idly watch Kaiba move around "Well, I thought that since you were here, you might like a tour around".

"Please don't treat it like we're on retreat" Kaiba scolded "We're here to attempt to create a contract between your people, so I don't have time to play with you and your friends".

"You're here to see that we're not monsters" Yami corrected "Don't you want to entertain me at least once?"

"Frankly, I don't want to see anyone of your kind" Kaiba said, reaching down to pick up his bag.

"But Kaiba-"

Yami fell silent as a loud thud hit the floor, and upon looking down, saw the lifeless crossbow at Kaiba's feet. At the sight of the weapon, Yami glared down at it, before looking back up at Kaiba. Kaiba gave no reaction to the weapon, and with a simple glance to Yami, bent down to pick it up.

"I told you no weapons!" Yami hissed.

"You don't honestly believe we'd follow your petty rule" Kaiba mocked, walking over to the wall, and opening a small compartment "Our king gave us the order to bring small but effective weapons with us".

"Kaiba-!"

"But on the condition that we only use them on his order" Kaiba continued, placing the crossbow and several bolts down, before kicking them into the small compartment "You don't honestly expect us to walk into a wolves den without protection do you?"

"But you promised no weapons! You've already broken our trust!"

"Actually, the only trust I've broken is yours" Kaiba turned back to Yami, marching over to him, and using their height difference as a form of intimidation "If you say anything about this to anyone, you'll start a panic that will spread like the plague in this small village, and no doubt a war. So if I were you, I'd let us normal people do what we want and keep quiet about it, understand?"

Yami kept his glare firmly on Kaiba, determined not to let the taller male push him around "If I find out you've used it on one of my people, I swear I will…"

"Do what? Kill me?" Kaiba challenged "I'd like to see you try".

Knowing the fight was over, Yami turned on the spot, and stormed out of the room. He quickly slipped in his shoes again, and after giving Kaiba another taste of his glare, proceeded to leave Kaiba alone for the day. Yugi was waiting for Yami back home, but when seeing that his lover was angered, Yugi kept to himself to give Yami some time to calm down. Though when asking what had upset Yami, Yami said nothing on the subject, avoiding answering the questions.

* * *

><p>The next few days were peaceful, the king spent most of his time with the masters, letting the younger of the masters show him around. The others hung around the village, watching what everyone else did, but kept a fair distance away from the inhabitants. Those who were against the humans in their home kept their distance as well, clumping together in tight groups, moving away from any human presence. But for the most part, most of the civilians were happy to at least try to interact with the humans, trying to bridge over the hatred between their kinds.<p>

Yami ended up taking a casual patrol around the village, making sure that everything was running smoothly, and that everyone was getting along. When seeing that life was going smoothly, Yami felt reassured to spend time with Yugi and Joey, and knew that things were moving forwards finally.

On one of his patrols, Yami walked around the roads of the village, making sure that everyone was happy again. He soon came to the masters' house, and although he could not look into the building, he did notice Kaiba standing outside waiting. Curious as to what Kaiba was waiting on, Yami approached the male, though keeping his fair distance.

"What are you doing out here Kaiba?" Yami asked, catching his attention.

As Kaiba looked over his shoulder, he gave a small but irritated sigh, and turned back to face the building "Your masters invited the king for a talk, probably about the progress of us and dragonkind relationships, pointless if you ask me".

Yami raised his brow "And they didn't invite you in?"

"I didn't want to go in" Kaiba corrected "I have nothing of interest to say, I'm just staying here in case my king needs me".

"Nothing to say?" Yami repeated, gaining a small smirk "But you're a prime example of humans and dragonkind living in harmony".

"Hardly".

"Well, you let me escape once didn't you? I can't believe you did it for any other reason than the kindness of your heart".

At the resurrection of the memory, Kaiba turned to Yami, and marched towards him. Seeing his speedy pace, Yami took a few stumbles back out of fear, but was unable to keep the distance between them safe. Once standing in front of Yami, Kaiba made a grab for Yami's neck, causing the male to choke at the tight grip around his neck.

"If you tell anyone about that, I swear to god I will kill you for good this time" Kaiba threatened lowly, watching Yami grasp at his hand "Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-Yes" Yami spluttered out, attempting to pull Kaiba's hand away.

"Oi!"

Kaiba lifted his head up, seeing Joey run over to them, so quickly let go of Yami before his friend could reach him. Free from Kaiba's grasp, Yami held his numb neck and panted for air, falling into his friend's hold when he got close enough. Watching the two briefly, Kaiba gave another irritated sigh, and walked past them.

"I forgot something" He muttered under his breath, and left the two alone.

Yami and Joey watched Kaiba walk down the path, and once far away enough, Joey gave a low growl like noise.

"What a bastard he is" Joey cursed, turning back to Yami "You alright? We should tell the masters".

"No! No" Yami shook his head, rubbing over his throbbing throat "It…It was personal, don't worry about it".

Joey raised his brow "You sure?"

"Certain, I just…need a moment to catch my breath…"

Joey helped Yami move away from the building, onto the streets, and directing him towards the stream "Come on, let's go somewhere quiet alright?"

"Yeah…sounds good".

Yami followed Joey down to the river, and once checking that the coast was clear, scooped up some water to drink. The cool liquid stroked over his wounded throat, causing it to twitch and burn with pain, but heal it nonetheless. After taking several more sips, Yami sat back with a pant, and wiped his wet hands on his trouser legs.

"Feeling better?" Joey asked, seating himself next to his friend.

"Yeah…it'll go away" Yami replied, taking a few deep breaths.

"Still, he shouldn't have grabbed you like that" Joey snarled "What were you talking about anyway?"

Yami looked to Joey out of the corner of his eyes, but simply shrugged and said "Stuff. Guess I…went over the line or something".

"Tch. As if that's hard to do" Joey remarked. The two kept silent for a while, watching the still river in front of them, before Joey sat back on his arms "Though, come to think of it, I've only seen him talking to you".

"Kaiba's not really a social person" Yami explained, hugging his knees to his chest "He probably wishes he was anywhere but here".

"Yeah I suppose".

With the blunt and lazy response, Yami glanced to Joey, giving him a confused frown "What's that supposed to mean?"

Joey turned to Yami "Well, what do you think about Kaiba liking you?" Joey insinuated.

"What? As in…? No. No" Yami shook his head in detest "There is no way Kaiba could ever like me like that".

"I don't know. I've heard that when some guys like someone, they act mean towards them".

"Bullying sure, but Kaiba hates my guts, there's no room for any other kind of emotion".

"Hm, if you say so" Joey then grinned with a snicker "Or are you scared that Yugi might get jealous and start fighting with Kaiba?"

Yami sent Joey a glare as he chuckled "Not funny Joey" Yami grumbled.

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Yami tried his best to avoid Kaiba at all costs, not wanting to stir his anger anymore. Though, whenever he spent time with Yugi and Joey, the blond always tried to tease Yami about his theory of Kaiba. But soon it became the end of the day, and Yami was free from Joey's torture, and able to enjoy his time with Yugi.<p>

When it was late at night, Yugi rested himself against Yami, finding the joy of sleeping next to his partner "You feeling better now?"

"A little" Yami replied, slipping his arm around Yugi, and bringing him closer.

"What was Joey going on about early?" Yugi queried, looking up at Yami "Seemed to be pretty important".

"It's nothing, don't worry about it" Yami reassured, turning his head to Yugi, and placing a kiss on his forehead.

"Okay. I guess everything is going well right?" Yugi closed his eyes, and rested his head against Yami's shoulder "Just like you said it would".

"Yeah…yeah it is".

Yugi let out a sigh, letting his hands play over the covers "I guess…you really did see that man in the mountains. It's strange. I was holding you all night, and I swear you never left my hold but…I guess I'm not much of a companion am I? If I can't even keep hold of you for one night…"

"It was probably for the best, after all, we came here didn't we?"

"Yeah. Suppose so…"

Yami glanced down at Yugi, giving a small smile, and slipping both of his arms around the smaller male "If that doesn't settle you, then you can hold me all night now" Yami reassured "I promise I won't go anywhere now".

Yugi managed to give a small chuckle, and grasp Yami tightly "Okay. I don't mind anyway, I like being able to hold you".

"Me too. You get warmer when you sleep, for some strange reason".

Yugi laughed a little louder, though tried to keep it quiet, so as to not disturb Yami's mother in the other room "Goodnight Yami".

"Goodnight Yugi" Yami said, nestling his face into Yugi's soft hair, falling into pleasant sleep with Yugi in his arms.

******************************End of chapter 15******************************

I seriously don't know how no one noticed.

I'm going to rethink my life so many times tonight.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	16. Aki

Out of my invisible schedule, this one prospered to be the easiest one to write at the moment.

Don't judge me, I'm lazy.

* * *

><p>Chapter 16-Aki<p>

The next morning, Joey ran down the paths of the village, and towards Yami's house. However, instead of going to the front door, he made his way around to the kitchen. As he predicted, the sliding doors were open, and Yugi and Yami's mother were awake preparing breakfast. They were having their own discussion, unaware of Joey's presence, which only encouraged his mischievous behaviour.

"Yo!" The two turned around, spotting Joey "Where's Yami? Not awake yet?"

"No, I left him sleeping" Yugi explained.

"Oh really? I'll go wake him up then".

Joey took off into a run, passing the front door again, and heading towards the bedroom "A-Ah Joey wait! He might not like that!" Yugi tried to reason, chasing Joey through the house.

Once coming to the wooden platform, Joey kicked off his shoes, and walked up to the partition. He carefully slid it open, and grinned at the sleepy state inside.

Yami was curled up in the bed, his back turned on Joey, and oblivious to his incoming awakening. Joey shut the door behind him, and crept closer to Yami, before grabbing his shoulders and shaking him vigorously.

"Yami! Time to wake up!" Joey yelled in his ear.

Yami gave a groan, shrugging Joey off of him, and curling into a tighter ball "Leave me alone…" Yami grumbled.

"Like hell!" Joey chortled, and continued to shake Yami awake.

Continuing to torture his friend, Joey looked over Yami, noticing that he was holding something in his sleep. On closer inspection, Joey gave a small gasp, and took a couple of steps back from his friend.

"Joey!" Joey turned to Yugi, who had entered and shut the door behind him "I hope you didn't wake him up".

"Where'd he get that from?" Joey demanded.

Yugi gave a confused expression, walking closer to the blond "Get what?"

"You mean you didn't notice?"

"Notice what?"

Joey didn't answer, only pointing to the unconscious Yami, and piquing Yugi's curiosity. Yugi turned to move towards Yami, making sure he did not wake Yami as he did so, and leaned over to look at his boyfriend.

Curled within his protective grip was an egg, taking up the size of his chest, and in the colour of white milk. The sight of the large egg made Yugi even more puzzled, and turned to Joey, hoping that it was an elaborate joke or that he could explain in some form. However, when Joey gave a shrug of his shoulders, he knew they were as clueless as the other.

Yugi knelt down by Yami's side, taking hold of his shoulder, and shook him awake again "Yami, wake up".

Yami gave a groan, but at his boyfriend's orders, sat himself up in the bed. The egg gave a small shake at being let go, but remained rested by Yami's side, who seemed unaware of its close presence. Yami gave a yawn, and stretched his arms in the air, before turning to smile at Yugi.

"Morning" He casually greeted "Breakfast already?"

"Where'd you get that egg from?" Joey immediately interrogated.

With a dazed stare, Yami looked up at his friend "Egg? What egg?"

Joey only nodded to Yami's side, prompting him to look down at his thighs. Sat by his side was the egg, seemingly attracted to his warmth, as it rested comfortably against his leg. Staring at the pure egg colour for a while, Yami picked it up, and sat it on his lap.

"Huh…that's odd" Yami said.

"That's all you have to say about this?!" Joey snapped irritated.

"Well I don't know what to think!" Yami shot back "Plus, I just woke up thanks to you!"

"Tch!" Was all Joey replied with, and crossed his arms over his chest. After staring at the egg for a while, Joey then turned to Yami "But…what do you think?"

"I don't know. I didn't hear anyone come in" Yami mused, then turned to Yugi "Did you hear anything Yugi?"

"N-No. It was quiet" Yugi let his hand stretch out, stroke over the top of the egg "What are we going to do about it?"

Yami gave a hum, before pushing back the bed covers, and standing up with the egg in his hands "Well go see the masters about this. Even if they don't know where it came from, they'll have a better idea on what to do".

"Yeah, suppose it's best" Joey agreed.

Looking between the two, Yugi stood up, and turned to jog to the bedroom door "I'll go tell your mum then Yami".

"Okay, thanks Yugi" Once Yugi left, Yami turned to Joey, and pushed the egg into his hands "Can you hold this while I get changed?"

"What? Er, sure".

"Thanks".

Watching Yami turn to the wardrobe, Joey held the egg up at all angles, determining to see inside the white shell.

Once Yami had dressed himself, and Yugi had explained the situation to Yami's mother, the group set out to the masters' home. With the permission to enter from their maid—which came easily after showing her the egg—they were shown to the masters, who, at the sight of the egg, decided it would be best to include the humans on the discussion as well.

With the masters sat in their normal seats, and the king and a few of his men joined in on the deliberation, the room suddenly felt crowded with the amount of people it held. Holding the egg tightly in his hands, Yami rested the white egg on his lap, letting those in the room observe the oval object.

"This is what you wanted to talk about?" The king queried, raising his brow up at the egg "Seems hardly…important to have this many peoples attentions".

"Normally, this wouldn't be of any concern" One of the elders spoke, brushing his hand through his beard "However, none of the women in the village were pregnant. Dragon kind or not, the appearance of this egg is…suspicious".

"You are certain you heard or saw nothing?" Another elder asked the teens "Nothing slightly out of the ordinary?"

"No. Nothing" Yami answered "It was just…there. As if it came out of thin air".

Kaiba shared a confused look to his king, before sighing and standing up. The action caught everyone's attention, but made Yami cringe more, when he realised Kaiba was walking towards him.

"We'll kill it if it's such a big deal to you" Kaiba offered.

"No!" One elder practically screamed, managing to hold Kaiba off from snatching the egg from Yami "That's not the issue we are having at this moment!"

"And please, have some consideration for a child" Another reasoned "You would not kill a child of your kind if it were abandoned at your door".

"It would depend on the situation" Kaiba coolly replied.

"We have to establish the reason behind its abandonment" The eldest explained "Naturally, a mother would not desert its child for no good reason. We just have to decipher it".

Kaiba sat himself down next to his king again, giving a glare to the egg "And what good reasons are there to desert their young?" The king queried.

"As numerous as there are people" The elder answered, resting his head on top of his hands "It could have been a child out of wedlock. Or the mother could not look after her own child for several reasons. Of course, there's always the chance that it is simply a bad egg".

"A bad egg?" The king repeated "And what entails it to be a bad egg?"

"Its heritage" Another explained "Black dragons have been exiled from our community for centuries for their vicious tendencies. If this is a black dragon offspring, then we cannot allow it to reside within our village".

"I see".

As the elders tried to explain the situation to the king and his men, the trio sat in silence as they watched the conversation play out in front of them. However, after feeling movement within his hands, Yami looked down at the egg he held. The white oval began to move, lightly twitching from side to side, as it struggled to break against the shell. After watching it wriggle for a few moments, a crack appeared in the side, and a small hole began to emerge. Yami watched the young creature inside attempt to push away the shell, trying to make the hole larger with the tip of its nose, though seemed to struggle to do so.

Shifting his hand to have a good hold of the egg, Yami reached up to peel away the egg shell, helping the baby inside to break out. The action caught Yugi's attention, as he looked away from the masters, and watched Yami.

"What are you doing?" Yugi whispered softly.

Yami did not respond, simply showed him the growing hole, and returned to his duty. The shell snapped easily into jagged patches, growing the hole size easily, and allowing the muzzle to easily fit within the opening of its egg. Resting the tip of its head on the rim of the hole, the baby dragon fell still again, breathing in the air around it. Its nostrils flared as it breathed deeply, creating a haggard snoring sound as it gulped in air, and recuperate its strength.

Once it took in enough air, the baby began moving again, breaking more of its shell away. Seeing that it took up the fight against its shell, Yami began breaking off chunks once more, placing them by his side in a growing pile. Bored of the gathering, Joey turned his attention to his friends, noticing that Yugi was watching Yami closely. After leaning over for a better look, Joey finally saw the broken egg, and the baby's face poking out of its protection.

"Holy shit its hatching" Joey said, breaking the masters' and the kings' conversation, as they all turned their heads towards Yami and the egg.

Everyone kept quiet as they watched the teen, mercilessly pulling away at the egg shell, until one side had been removed completely. The dragon inside gave a small mewl, finally moving around its body, easing up its tense muscles and flicking off the loose liquid smeared over its scales.

"Well?" One of the elders spoke up "What is it?"

Yami lifted his head up to the masters, and turned the egg around so the gap faced them, displaying the baby still fighting to break out. The youngling was sat curled up within the egg hold, its pure white scales reflected back like mirrors, though stained with the thin red liquid over its body. Its bright, blue, round eyes looked around the room with inquisitiveness and made small cooing noises as it saw each person around it.

After a few moments of the masters staring at awe at the baby dragon, Kaiba raised his brow in suspicion, and turned to the elderly men.

"So, are we going to kill it?" Kaiba asked.

Offended by the question, the elders turned to Kaiba, disgusted looks on their faces "N-No! We cannot!"

"Why not?" Kaiba persisted "Didn't you say that was an option?"

"For a bad egg! This is no bad egg!" The youngest of the masters turned back to stare at the dragon, watching Yami finally ease it out of its egg casing, and began to wipe away the thin juice covering its body "This may not seem like much to you; for you, a dragon is a dragon. But, to us, this is like a godly blessing".

"How so?" The king questioned.

"Our oldest legends speak of how our dragon races came to be. Created by two different, but connected, dragons. The light and dark dragons. These are essentially our gods. However, due to man waging war on the dragons, the light dragons have been extinct for eons. To have a young light dragon in our presence is beyond our wildest dreams. It's much like when your king would enter a peasant's home, it is the same euphoria".

Kaiba scrunched his face up in detest, glancing back to Yami and the dragon, seeing the youngling paw over Yami's chest and nip at his neck.

"Oh" Was all Kaiba said.

Watching the newborn pester Yami, the eldest of the masters shifted closer to the edge of his seat, resting his hands on the floor "Yami, it seems like you were chosen by unforeseen forces. This little one will need someone to care for it, protect it unlike those who couldn't before. Do you accept this role?"

"I do" Yami answered.

The old man gave a nod "With the reappearance of a light dragon, perhaps we were wrong to doubt your meeting with Kazuo. If that is the case, then we humbly apologise. Your potential is highly valuable within our group".

The offer seemed to take Yami by surprise, as he stared shocked at the elderly men, watching them bend lower so that their foreheads nearly touched the floor "We're sorry".

At the submissive behaviour, the king and his men turned to Yami with contempt, as he sat bewildered at the old men.

With nothing else to contribute to the gathering, and the threat of danger passed, they disbanded the meeting. Yami carried out the dragon in his arms, who kept on fidgeting, eager to see the world around it. Once outside, Joey stretched his arms up in the air.

"Well that was an interesting meeting" Joey then turned to Yami, showing him a grin "And you got the masters interest too! You're set for life".

"I don't think so" Yami mumbled passively, trying to keep the baby still in his arms.

"I don't understand what that means" Yugi spoke up, looking to Joey "Is it…good?"

"It's probably the best in the world" Joey explained, though stopped and thought "Well…next to living of course. In order to become a master, you have to impress them enough for them to deem you worthy to become one of them. Each clan has their own rules and expectations, but, it's not an easy feat to do. The reason a lot of them is old is because it took that long to be accepted. That's how hard it is to become a master".

"I see".

"But, Yami here will probably get in by the time he's twenty-two, what with being the mummy of a god and all".

Yami gave a small frown to Joey, all the while leaning his head away from the nipping dragon "It's not like I gave birth to it. I just found it. Ow, stop it".

"Well, stranger things have happened" Joey joked.

Yugi tilted his head, watching Yami struggle with the child "Um…what is it doing?"

"It just hatched, it's hungry" Yami explained, grabbing the back of the neck of the dragon, and forcibly pulling it away "Best feed it quick".

The group made it back to Yami's house, where they briefly explained to Yami's mother what had happened, and tended to the hungry baby. Yami sat down in the middle of the room, tearing chunks of raw meat apart, filling his mouth with cold and soft meat. The dragon was sat by its side, its tail swishing excitedly side to side, as it sat up on Yami's leg to investigate the remaining meat. Joey and Yugi stood by the door, giving Yami and his new child space to feel comfortable, but able to watch nonetheless.

"I don't get it" Yugi whispered to Joey, catching his attention "I thought we were feeding the dragon".

Joey gave a chuckle, and began rubbing the back of his head "Well dragons aren't born with teeth. They develop their first set of teeth a couple of years after they hatch".

Yugi continued to stare perplexed "So?"

"It means they can't eat solids, just like human babies. But…dragons don't give milk. They…um…"

Joey was cut off with the sound of retching, and both turned to Yami, seeing his hand clasped over his mouth and his stomach heaving. After a few moments of heaving, Yami vomited in his hand, causing Yugi to look away out of disgust.

"Regurgitate" Joey finished.

Yami gathered the chewed and moist meat in his hand, before passing it over to the dragon, which began to tuck into the meal happily. With the dragon happy, Yami gave a sigh, and rubbed his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Taste bad?" Joey mocked.

"Cooked food is better" Yami admitted, scrubbing even harder.

Joey gave a chuckle, and turned to the door "I'll get you a drink, hold on".

Joey left the room, leaving Yami to rid of the disgusting taste. Yugi watched a few moments, unsure if he could help Yami, and more curious about the baby dragon. After watching the dragon eat the mushed food, Yugi leant against the wall, finding content in the moment.

"It's pretty cute" Yugi commented "Have you thought of a name for it?"

"I thought Aki would suit her" Yami answered, running his hand down the dragon's back.

"Aki? Hm…" Yugi gave a smile, noting the bright sparkle Aki's scales gave "Yeah. Aki sounds like a good name".

"A pathetic excuse for a name if you ask me".

Yugi and Yami turned to the open sliding door, seeing Kaiba standing outside, glaring at Aki. At the hateful stare, Yami shifted his body along so that it concealed Aki, and forced Kaiba to turn his gaze to him instead.

"What do you want Kaiba?" Yami asked.

"Hmph. Nothing" Kaiba replied "Just making sure the runt was still with you".

"She wouldn't go far, would she?"

"I wouldn't know" Kaiba then furrowed his brow, turning it into a frown "If you or that monster of yours does anything to the king-"

"What exactly would a baby do Kaiba?" Yami protested.

"I don't know. But what I do know is that eggs don't appear out of thin air. If that thing brings trouble, and threatens the king's life, then I'll kill it and you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Unfortunately" Was Yami's response.

Kaiba shot one last glare to everyone in the room, before turning to leave the garden. Yugi leaned out of the building to watch Kaiba, making sure that he truly had left, before turning back to Yami with worry present.

"He's…not really going to kill you…is he?" Yugi queried.

Yami only gave a small smug smile, attempting to reassure Yugi that it was an empty threat, before turning back to Aki. The baby dragon was finishing the last morsels of its food, unaware of the conversation that had happened, and the threat of its life made. Seeing the dragon blissfully unaware, Yami felt that he should relax as well, and gave her one last stroke before letting her carry on with her meal.

*******************************End of chapter 16*****************************

Deus ex machina dragons?!

Well, I'm sure this won't spell trouble.

Review and stay tuned for the next chapter!


	17. Interruption

I'm going to go ahead and say my brain literally died halfway through writing this.

Not for any reason in particular, but the amount of times I had to stop and think about what word I was typing was a laughable amount. So, apologies for any stupidness that may be lurking somewhere in this chapter.

(I also apologise to my sister who I was talking to at the time I was writing this chapter. Conversing with me when I don't know what the heck I was talking about was probably the most difficult things you've probably done).

* * *

><p>Chapter 17-Interruption<p>

For the upcoming days, Yami had been given the duty of show master, and took Aki around the village to show her off. While Yami disliked the idea of treating Aki like some toy to boast about, he understood that everyone wanted to admire and pay their respects to the young dragon, so complied with everyone's wishes.

He, accompanied by Yugi and Joey on occasions, made their rounds around the village. The masters, children, parents, other dragons, even the king had wanted to spend a few minutes inspecting the dragon—albeit more apprehensive then everyone else. It seemed that Aki's presence brought everyone together, whether out of curiosity or hope, the people within the village would all come together just to see the small white dragon. The sight of the people, humans and dragon kind, finally communing in peace made Yami happy.

Yami was with a group of children, Yugi by his side for support, while the children squealed and stroked Aki with glee. Aki took the attention happily, enjoying the company of other children, her tail slapping from side to side out of enjoyment. It was much like the other days they had spent, just filled with joyfulness.

Then a roar boomed from across the surrounding area, silencing the laughing children, and the rest of the village in an instant. Everyone fell still as statues, looking to the horizon, waiting for another sign.

When another roar travelled over the mountains and sounding much closer than before, Yami turned to Yugi and forced Aki into his hands, whom gave a little squeal at the sudden movement.

"Yugi, take Aki and head back home" Yami ordered strongly.

"Wh-What? Why?" Yugi stammered, struggling to cradle Aki in his arms like Yami did "What's going on?"

"Just do it" Was all Yami said, and pushed Yugi in the direction of his home "Go, now!"

Yugi did not hesitate and began to run back to Yami's home, Aki tightly in his arms so she would not struggle out. Once Yugi was out of sight and presumably safe, Yami ushered the children away and advised them to find their parents, to which they scattered panic-stricken.

With everyone in his close distance safely removed, Yami went running back to the village, with no specific plan in mind. When coming into the village, Yami ran to Joey, only briefly stopping when a third cry fell even closer to the village.

"Joey, what do we do?" Yami asked.

Joey turned to him, shaking his head "I don't…I don't know".

After a matter of minutes, there was a cry for help, and villagers began to flee in terror as a dragon began to invade the village. Its black scales were apparent as it tore down buildings, swatted down people who tried to escape, and destroyed anything that was in its way. The black dragon was intent on bringing down the village.

"We gotta do something!" Joey exclaimed, panicked and restless as he watched the black dragon swing its head into a house, crumbling under the strike.

Yami delayed with an answer, turning his attention when he heard an order give out, and watched as the king ordered his now armed guards to the dragon. Loaded crossbows were aimed at the black dragon, and once its attention was caught, fired openly at the beast. Though the bolts stuck into its body, the hard scales acted like a shield, stopping all the bolts from penetrating its softer body.

Once it felt the wood stabbed into its side, it gave a roar of anger, and turned to the king's guards, thwacking them away as if they were flies. With his men fallen, the king began to flee, the few remaining guards who had managed to gather their strength to retaliate.

"They're going to get themselves killed!" Yami exclaimed.

"Mum!"

Yami turned back to the dragon, seeing the familiar golden form of Joey's mother lunging into the fight; teeth sunk into the black dragon's neck and she began to shake it like a rag. Blood began to seep out from her mouth, the wounds on the black dragon's neck growing, as it attempted to struggle out of her grip. And yet, it was still not enough to put it down.

Twisting and turning, the black dragon managed to roll its neck out of Joey's mother mouth, and turned to her with a hostile hiss. It slashed at her, running a claw-like scar over her eye, and drawing blood. She gave a groan and shook her head, ready to retaliate, but the black dragon had beat her to the fight, teeth bitten into her side and charged her into a nearby building, where she laid weakened from the struggle.

"MUM!" Joey took off in a run, managing to push Yami off when he tried to pull him back, and ran to his mother's side. Joey fell to his knees when he came to his mother, ignoring the threat of the black dragon to check on her wounds, before wiping away as much blood as he could from her face "Come on mum, don't do this to me again!"

"Joey! Look out!" Yami warned as the black dragon neared the two.

Producing fire within his hands, Yami shot it out to the black dragon, scorching its wound on its neck. With a painful hiss, the dragon turned its attention to Yami, and set to hunt him down instead of the defenceless pair. As Yami backed away from the approaching threat, he could not help but count the similarities his previous encounter with a black dragon was, the only difference was that he did not have the safety of his father to protect him.

Before the dragon could reach Yami, a bolt flew and struck the black dragon in its side, turning its and Yami's attention away from their looming fight. Kaiba stood several feet away, crossbow aimed at the dragon, while Kaiba began to reload another bolt. Seeing a new threat, the dragon began to march towards Kaiba, a roar of hostility to go with its charge.

"Kaiba get out of the way!" Yami shouted to him.

Kaiba ignored Yami's advice, determined to load his crossbow, and try to get another bolt into the dragon's body. However, the black dragon reached him easily, and with a swift movement of its clawed hand, hit Kaiba into the remains of one of the houses.

"Kaiba!" Yami looked to the ground, spotting Kaiba's dropped crossbow, now loaded and ready for use. It was his only chance to fight on equal grounds.

Yami made a run for it, eyes set on the crossbow, determined to not let it go. However the black dragon caught Yami's movement, swiping him with its tail, and throwing him into the garden of a destroyed house.

With a groan, Yami lifted himself up, seeing a faint blood patch on the grass, and feeling blood trickle through his hair. Another groan came from Yami, and as he pushed himself on to his hands and knees, looked over to the discarded crossbow. It was still ready to use against the dragon, but now aware of its presence, stood guard over it and hindered any plans Yami had of acquiring it.

But he was not deterred. Yami was going to seize the weapon, and use it against the black dragon.

Yami put himself on his feet, though slightly dizzy and weak from his wound, he kept his balance and started to head to the crossbow again. Seeing him move again, the black dragon reared its head, teeth bearing as it began to hunt Yami, hoping to cut him off from grabbing the crossbow.

But before either could reach the crossbow, Aki, small and fragile compared to the larger dragon, wandered out between the two, and placed her child body over the crossbow with a small mewl. Seeing the youngster in its path, the black dragon stopped in its path, giving an intimidating growl as it gazed upon the sparkling scales of the child. After a few moments of staring at each other, gazes locked, the black dragon took a couple of steps back and bowed its head in submission. Its terrorising spree finally ended.

Yami approached cautiously, but once standing next to Aki, who gave a chipper squeal at seeing her father, he reached down to pick up the crossbow. It was heavy and cumbersome in his untrained arms, but he managed to rest it against his chest for support, and aimed it at the dragon before him. When seeing the weapon pointed at it, the dragon lifted up its head and tilted its neck backwards, displaying the soft and vulnerable underside of its body. Faint blood marks had trickled from its previous battle wounds, tainting its cream underbelly with red lines, and waiting to turn its colour to crimson.

Hesitant to shoot, Yami watched the dragon carefully, eyes connected with their gazes. Yami could barely see the eye of the dragon, but he could make out the pupil staring down at him, glaring at him with hatred.

With nothing to hold him back, Yami shot at the dragon. The bolt penetrated deep into the black dragon's skin, the circular tip of the bolt the only remaining evidence that it was in the skin of the dragon, slowly coated in the blood of the beast. The black dragon gave a groan, recoiling at the pain, but adamant to keep its vulnerable neck exposed to the world.

When seeing that the dragon still had some life fighting in it, Yami looked around him, hoping to find a spare bolt discarded on the ground. But unfortunately, the only thing in reaching distance was Aki, who was sat obediently at his side.

"Here" Yami turned around just as Kaiba grabbed his wrist, shoving a bolt into his hand "Use this".

Yami looked down at the bolt; it was the standard design Yami had seen many times, however, instead of the near midnight colour, it was now dyed to a bloody crimson. Yami's eyes widened at the sticky liquid, before turning to Kaiba, and noticing a startlingly large red colour seeping through Kaiba's clothes, growing in size along Kaiba's side.

"K-Kaiba-!"

"Just…shoot it" Kaiba ordered firmly.

Though Yami was reluctant to ignore Kaiba's wounds, he was even more reluctant to disobey Kaiba, so loaded up the crossbow again, albeit clumsy as he was unsure of how to deal with such a weapon, but managed to sit the bolt into position and ready for use.

Armed once again, Yami aimed the crossbow to the waiting dragon, lower from his previous shot. Aligned with the dragon's neck, Yami let the bolt fly to the black dragon's neck, piercing skin and burying deep in flesh. A surge of blood ran out from its wound, drenching the creamy under colour red.

The dragon finally whined and wailed, staggering back and finally letting its head drop in pain, causing more blood to seep out from its battle wounds. Panting breathlessly, the black dragon stared down the two humans for a few moments, before its legs collapsed on itself, and tumbled to the ground with a loud thud.

Yami stared at the dead corpse for a few moments, watching a pool of blood form around the head of the dragon, and soaking the path red. But when hearing a more human like groan, Yami turned to see Kaiba sink to his knees.

"Kaiba!" Yami fell to Kaiba's side, grabbing hold of his shoulders to steady him "Stay with me Kaiba!"

"You'd…make a good…hunter…" Kaiba wheezed out, before his body went limp, and fought against Yami's arms as it tumbled.

"Kaiba!" Yami laid Kaiba to rest against his body, one hand pressed firmly against his side to stop the bleeding, feeling the large gash under his layers of clothes "Kaiba please! KAIBA!"

*******************************End of chapter 17*****************************

Oh-oh, oh my. Well…er…

I'm not in a position to make a comment right now.

Review and stay tuned for the last chapter! (Wait, doesn't this constitute to being a comment?)


	18. Spread your wings

Well, this adventure with dragons is coming to a close.

Dragons should be more of a thing yo, like, for real, get on that boat guys!

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><p>Chapter 18-Spread your wings<p>

Yami watched as the people mended the damage done to the village. It was quite a sight to see that early of a morning; his people, along with some of the soldiers, attempting to patch and build the homes that had been destroyed in the fight. He had even caught one of the village elders and the king, strolling down the road together, inspecting the damage themselves. It was an odd sight to see both factions working together for once.

"Can you get this thing away from me?" Yami looked over his shoulder, giving a small smile.

While Kaiba was lying in his bed, recovering from his wounds, Aki had snuck up to his side and attempted to give his head a happy nuzzle. The affection was not well received from Kaiba however.

"She's just happy you're okay" Yami reasoned.

"I don't care" Kaiba growled, forcibly turning his head in the opposite direction "Get it away from me".

Yami walked over to the pair, and bundled Aki in his arms, making sure the juvenile was secure in his grip. Yami looked down at Kaiba, barely able to see the top of his dressings around his torso, though was grateful they remained pure white.

"Well, we were both worried about you" Yami explained "You could've died, you know?"

Kaiba looked from the corner of his eyes, seemingly giving a glare to Yami, before shifting his gaze and giving a small 'hmph' to show his acknowledgment of the concern.

"Doesn't a patient get rest around here?" Kaiba remarked bitterly.

Yami gave a soft laugh, and started making his way to the door "Alright, I'll go. Besides, the others may need my help".

Kaiba turned his head to watch Yami walk to the door, and once he had reached the door, decided to say something.

"Oi" Yami stopped at the door, looking back to Kaiba "I remember…one story about your kind".

Yami gave Kaiba a curious look, showing interest in what he had to say "I forgot the name of the story" Kaiba quickly added and inhaled deeply "But, it was about a man who befriended one of those light dragons. Together, they gave the world light and went from town to town to unite the people. I never really bothered much with that story, but" Kaiba turned his head to Yami "Right now…you remind me of that story".

Yami looked surprised, but gave a soft smile at the comment nonetheless "Thanks Kaiba".

"Hmph" Kaiba turned his head stubbornly away, grabbing the sheets, and tugging them up his body "Don't take it as a compliment. I was just thinking out loud".

"Okay" Yami opened the door and slipped out, letting his and Aki's head poke through as he slowly shut the door behind them "Get better soon Kaiba".

Kaiba only emitted a grumble at the response, making Yami chuckle again as he shut the door, letting Kaiba have the peace he wanted. When Yami had left, Kaiba gave the door a brief glance, humming to himself in thought.

"I'm glad that it is you" Kaiba muttered, before closing his eyes, intending to rest.

As Yami walked through the village, Aki in his arms as he inspected the damage he came by, offering his assistance whenever possible. As it were however, no one seemed to need his help, and only paused in their work to give thanks to Aki. Once they had given everyone their attention to the pair, Yami made his way to the riverside, hoping to find some peace. Once approaching it, he spotted Yugi sat down by its side.

Yami walked closer, and sat himself next to Yugi, who gave a small jump when he realised he was not alone anymore. After Yami settled, and set Aki on his lap, he turned to Yugi with a smile.

"What are you doing hiding out here?" He asked.

"Ah…I'm not hiding" Yugi meekly answered, reaching down to play with some grass blades "I…well, I'm not much use as it is so…I'm just staying out of people's ways…or until someone finds a good use for me I suppose".

"I see" Yami opened his arms when Aki began to wriggle out, and let her wander around, under their watch.

"How's Kaiba doing?" Yugi queried, wrapping his arms around his knees "Doing any better?"

"Ah, he's still grumpy as ever" Yami replied with a laugh "I suppose that's a good sign he's improving".

"Mm" Yugi hummed, and let his eyes slowly move to Aki, who happened to be patting the water at the time "I was worried about you too…"

"I know you were" Yami scooted closer to Yugi, putting an arm around him to ease him closer, and rested his head upon Yugi's "I'm sorry that I scared you".

Yugi breathed an easy sigh within Yami's hold, and after enjoying the touch for several minutes, voiced "What do you think's going to happen now?"

Yami gave a small shrug to his shoulders "I don't know. I hope that the king will see how it is with us but…well…it might not happen overnight, so all we can really do is patiently wait" He felt Yugi's head move in the direction of a nod, before continuing "But, I think I want to leave".

"Huh?" Yugi sat up in Yami's arms, letting their eyes connect "Why?"

"Because…" Yami turned to briefly watch Aki, before turning back to Yugi "There's still so much I can do. Right now, everything is still broken, just waiting to be connected again. It reminds me of the old stories, about how everyone fought for what was right. I don't…want to get separated from you Yugi, and I don't want anyone to lose someone important because of this divide, so…I want to try my best to mend everything, sew everyone back together. It's probably foolish but it's what I want to do".

Yugi's gaze softened, looking down slightly to avoid Yami's own eyes "That's…that's a big task…for just one person, you know?"

Yami chuckled slightly "I'm aware. I still want to try though".

"Then!" Yugi seized Yami's hands, holding them tightly within his own "Then I'll come with you too!"

"Uh…Yugi?"

"You said it yourself, right? You don't want to be separated from me ever again" Yugi grew a light smile, before looking up at Yami once more "And, I don't know if I'll be much help, even if I can give the tiniest of support, I want to be there to give it. So, please, let me come with you?"

Yami hesitated for only a moment, before presenting a smile and kissing Yugi on the lips "Well, when you put it like that, how can I refuse?"

Yugi smiled brightly and hugged Yami tightly, resting his head upon Yami's shoulder "Thank you Yami!"

Yami chuckled and held Yugi, keeping their bodies close as possible "Right. Let's make sure that everything here is fine, and then we'll go, okay?"

"Sounds like a plan Yami".

For the oncoming days, the village continued to mend the damage done. Homes and other buildings had been patched up, people who had been injured were treated, and even Kaiba had recovered enough to stagger a small way out of his personal room. Slowly, things started to return back to normal, like a wound stitched back together once more.

After a considerable amount of time had passed, the king and his men made the decision to head back to their city, fearing another attack on the king's life. Despite the prior commotion, the king seemed happy enough to give some parting words to the elders who had come to bid him farewell, even if some of his men seemed hesitant to let him do so.

Yami made his way to where Kaiba was staying, keeping an eye out for the tall male, before finding him still in his room. He was still packing belongings into his bag, and was currently trying to slide his crossbow into the bag, before tying the bag tightly. As he stood up, bag in hand, he gave a small hiss as he clasped his wounded side.

"Need a hand?" Yami offered, and at the sound of his voice, Kaiba looked over his shoulder for only a moment.

"No" He answered, shrugging the bag over his shoulder, ready to leave.

"So…what will you do now?" Yami asked.

"I don't know" Kaiba answered, turning so he could walk out of his room "I guess I'll just have to see".

"Kaiba, wait" Kaiba stopped at Yami's words "Do you…think we'll see each other again?"

Kaiba made a noise with his tongue, and turned to look back at Yami "Do you have a death wish or something?"

Yami managed a chuckle and shrugged his shoulders "Maybe I do. But if things go as planned, well…we can be friends then, right?"

"As if" Kaiba retorted bluntly "If there is peace between the two of us, I'll be out of a job, and I'll have you to thank for that. Do you think we can be friends then?"

Yami gave the thought a few moments of attention, before replying "Maybe".

"Then it'll be your own funeral then" Was Kaiba's curt response, and continued walking out of the building.

Yami followed Kaiba out of the building, though Yami had tried to bring up the topic a few more times as they walked, Kaiba seemed adamant to keep a vague answer so Yami left it as that. Once they regrouped with the rest of the humans, and Yami found himself by his family's side, the party of humans made their departure. Though Yami had attempted to give a farewell wave, he could not see a returning gesture from Kaiba, so ceased the action as he felt it was ridiculous to continue doing so.

That night, at Yami's house, they held a dinner with Joey and his mother invited as guests. Once everyone sat around the table, the meal having been set prior, Joey watched as his mother gathered as much food as she could handle, while eating it just as quickly.

"Mum…don't eat so much at once" Joey warned.

"Why not?" She asked, mouth half full.

"Because you're recovering from a fight!" Joey rationalised, indicating to her bandaged side.

She gave a laugh, waving off her son "Then I should eat more to get stronger right?" When Joey sighed in defeat, his mother gave a hearty laugh, patting his back as she did so "Don't worry about it Joey! Just eat and enjoy, right?"

"You can be an embarrassment sometimes" Joey muttered as he began eating, only to receive a hard thwack from his mother.

Yugi gave a small chuckle at the commotion, but once the two resolved their bickering, turned to Yami who was feeding Aki. The young dragon had his full attention sitting on his lap, also had the attention of his mother, who occasionally glanced to her son every now and then as she helped serve the food up. As everyone fell content with the meal, Yami's mother turned to Yugi, giving him a smile.

"Actually, Yugi, I'm kind of surprised you didn't go back with the others" She said, catching his attention "Don't you want to return to your family by now?"

"Ah…um…well…that is…"

"Are you trying to get rid of him, mum?" Yami asked looking up at her.

"What? No, just concerned is all" She reassured, then stood up "Yami can you help me in the kitchen?"

"Sure" Yami passed Aki over to Yugi, and once the two were settled, Yami got up from the table and followed his mother into the kitchen.

Once inside the kitchen, his mother had already set to preparing another dish, only briefly looking away to point towards another dish that sat waiting.

"You can take that in Yami" His mother said, hinting to the finished meal, and returned to her duty.

"Alright" Yami walked over to the plate, but before picking it up, looked over his mother once again. After a few moments of thinking, Yami turned to his mother in hopes of speaking to her "Hey…mum".

"Hm? What is it Yami?"

"I…well, me and Yugi, were planning on…leaving soon" Yami explained, watching his mother's every movements. She seemed normal, however, almost as if she were expecting the news. She did not falter with her task at hand "Is…that okay mum?"

She gave a sigh, leaving the food alone to turn to her son "I had a feeling that this day would come" She presented a smile, and walked over to Yami, placing her hands on his shoulders "You're old enough to do what you feel is right, and there's not much I can do to stop you regardless. Just…promise me you'll come home safe and sound, okay?"

"I will mum" Yami then moved to hug his mother, allowing her to cradle him in her arms for a while.

"I love you Yami, never forget that" She then moved her head so she could place a kiss on his forehead, before holding him close "Okay?"

"Yes mum".

Yami and Yugi remained in the village for a few more days, waiting for an opportunity to leave, and making sure that all loose ends had been wrapped up before they did leave. Eventually, they heard that someone from their village was to make a business trips to other places, and were granted a ride in his cart on said day.

As the pair were getting ready to leave, their friends and family came to see them off, giving them their last chance of a farewell. Yami hugged his mother, allowing her to squeeze him tightly as if he were going to turn into smoke.

"I'll miss you Yami" She whispered to him, stroking his back as she did so "Don't forget about me, okay?"

"I won't mum".

After one last squeeze, the two managed to ease out of each other's hold, letting the other move away. Once he left his mother, he turned to Joey, who was ready to part with his friend.

"You better come back in one piece" Joey warned lightly, a slight smile coming to his lips "And Yug too, alright? You all gotta come back safe and sound".

"I'll do my best" Yami promised.

"No, not your best" Joey corrected, thumping Yami's shoulder as he corrected him "You will! Otherwise, you'll have me to deal with when you get back, and you don't want that, do you?"

Yami laughed, rolling his hit shoulder slightly "No, of course not" Once he relaxed his shoulder, Yami moved forwards to hug Joey, an action received well by his friend.

Joey hugged Yami back, tightly, as if he were trying to squeeze the breath out of him "I'll miss you".

"I'll miss you too" Yami replied, giving Joey another tight squeeze, before finally letting go.

Once he was satisfied with his farewells to everyone, Yami joined Yugi in the back of the cart, sitting Aki on his lap as he did so. As the driver made sure both were ready to depart, the two gave their last farewells, waving to their collected farewell party.

The cart started moving, giving a small jerk, and pulling away from the town. They waved off their friends and families, until they could no longer see them, and they were already set off on the journey.

After a while of moving down the road, the cart giving a small sway from side to side, the two were well on their journey. As Yami made sure that Aki was tightly in his arms, he looked over to Yugi, who was leaning back slightly watching the road ahead of them.

"Yugi, you alright?" Yami asked, catching Yugi's attention.

Yugi gave a shy smile and nodded "Yeah. Just…it's a little exciting, isn't it? But also a little nervous, I think".

"We'll be fine, I'm sure of it".

Yugi gave a nod to show he agreed, and the two went back to viewing the moving scenery. Though they were unsure of where they would go, or what kind of welcome they would receive, all they could do was hope for the best. As long as they were together, that was all the needed, was Yami's thoughts.

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><p>Alright, Imma stop it there before I get anymore corny. Jeez. This week's been terrible for me and writing. I just wanna finish this and move onto something new to distract me, is that so bad? I just wanna take my mind off things. Sigh.<p>

Well, anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing as always. Maybe I'll go back and redo this chapter in a better mood haha. But anyway, keep a look out for a new story, probably sometime after Halloween, maybe? Maybe. I think I've told a few people one thing, and I changed my mind (Sorry!) But I hope you will enjoy it nonetheless when it comes out.

Thanks for being great readers and I'll see you in the next update!


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